Hetaquest: The Novel
by Red-White Roses
Summary: The other countries kept insisting that America and Italy read the legendary "Atmosphere" book. Somehow during their search, they fall into an alternate world instead! Now our two unlikely heroes have to get back to their own world, while saving this one with no help or instructions what-so-ever. Stupid book, who wants to read The Atmosphere anyway? Written adaptation of Hetaquest.
1. Prologue

_**Hello! I'm Red-White Roses, but just call me Rosie! I'm a new author, so be easy on the comments please! Anyway, you're problably wondering why I'm making a Hetaquest written version when there's like ten others on this website alone, but I can explain.**_

_**I read all the other fanfics of Hetaquest, and liked them, but they just won't UPDATE! Yes, I respect that they're busy with other things, so while I'm waiting with my fellow fans for them, I'm going to write this to pass the time. Anyway, I'm pretty sure this sucks, and it isn't original, but don't flame me for that! Constructive criticism or moral support only please! Though if you do flame me for some stuff I did or something, I wil "probably" ignore it and continue the story. **_

_**This is the new version of the prologue, and it has extra stuff by me (before the game starts as background info and stuff like that) along with extra dialogue for story consistency. I hope this version is better than the first.**_

_**I update very randomly, and the best I predict, is that I'll update at least one chapter (and it means in TOTAL, between "Hetaquest" and "Tales of Hetalia") per month.**_

_**Hetalia**** does not belong to me and belongs to Hidekazu Himaruya. Hetaquest also doesn't belong to me. Hetalia~!**_

"The World Meeting will now take a Lunch Break. The meeting will continue in one hour. That is all," Germany said with utter exasperation. A vain was throbbing in his temple. Currently, he had a firm grip on Prussia's shirt collar, who was screeching profanities better left unsaid, while attempting to break free from his little brother's iron grip. Germany's usual impeccably slicked back hair was loose and dripping wet, and the front of his dress shirt was soaked with water. He glared at his older sibling. The other nations closest to the pair shrank away from the German's frosty stare.

"Meanwhile, I'll be taking this _dummkopf_ home before he can potentially destroy this room any more than he already did." At this, he gestured to the many overturned chairs, the smashed windows along with the badly damaged walls. Puddles of water littered the floor, and the meeting table had been neatly split in half, curtesy of Russia and his lead pipe. The other drenched nations hurriedly nodded in agreement, shuddering at the recent memory.

_Prussia had broken into the meeting room, declaring his awesomeness to the world while holding something behind his back. Germany of course yelled at him to get out, and Prussia had stuck out his tongue, irritating the German even more._

_"Mein Gott, just go home, bruder!"_

_"Why would I do that, when it's a lot more fun torturing you and messing up your precious meeting? Kesesese!"_

_"Can't you be reasonable-"_

_"Nein! You're not going to stop me from claiming all of your unawesome vital regions for Prussia!"_

_Germany rubbed the sides of his temples, trying to somehow deal with his older brother without using his usual methods. He really didn't want to destroy the meeting room. "... Prussia, don't you have anything better to do, other than arguing with me?"_

_Prussia paused for a moment, as if he was actually considering the answer. He then grinned maliciously. Germany then regretted asking him. The other nations unintentionally agreed silently._

_"That reminds me! Happy Birthday, West!"_

_"Wait, it's not even my-"_

_Germany received a blast of water in the face, leaving him spluttering and enraged. Prussia laughed obnoxiously. In his hands was a bright green hose similar to the ones in the average garden. Germany paled significantly._

_"Please don't tell me that's a garden hose-"_

_"Commence Operation Claiming All Vital Regions Via Garden Hose Attack!" Prussia aimed the deadly weapon at the now panicking nations scrambling for cover. Russia looked up curiously. He smiled._

_"Oh, are we playing a game? I love games!"_

_As Russia spoke, nations were being swept away by the continuous blast of water erupting from the opening of the emerald tube. Almost all the countries were now completely soaked and using any means to defend themselves from Prussia's Hose of Doom. Most of the furniture had been used as mentioned protection and they were now trying to get to the former nation. Their attempts were in vain. Prussia laughed his obnoxious laugh._

_"Kesesese! Now this is what i call awesome!" He shut off the water for a moment to get a better grip on the once-harmless rubber tube, allowing the other countries to get a chance to get to safety._

_"Get back here, you cowards!"_

_"Bruder, let go of the hose before I make you!" Germany wrestled with Prussia for posession of the hose as his brother protested in vain._

_"Nein!"_

_As Prussia tried to pull the now-weapon out of Germany's grip, he had been unfortunate enough to accidently aim at Russia. The moment a gush of cold water hit the northern landmass in the face, hell broke loose._

As the others dispersed into their usual groups, heading for their hotels for a change of clothes and a good meal, Italy bounced over to Germany. Prussia managed to get ahold of the sides of the doorway, which he latched on to desperately. Germany was left trying to pull him away in vain.

"_Bruder!_ If you do not let go this instant-"

"Dammit! I hate you, West! You stopped the awesomeness that's me from having some fun for once!"

"What you call fun is destructive and unproductive-"

"Fuck you!"

Italy tugged on Germany's sleeve, completely disregarding the uncomfortable situation Germany was in. Germany grunted.

_"What."_

"Are you ready, Germany? Lets go eat pasta for lunch today!"

"If you can't tell, I'm a little busy with my _bruder_ at the moment. Go with Japan or Romano."

"But-"

At that moment, Germany finally managed to tug Prussia free, allowing him to be dragged struggling out the doors.

"_Gute Tag, Italia. _I'll see you later at the meeting."

When Germany vanished from sight, Italy pouted. "But you said that we'll eat pasta together..."

When he didn't receive an answer, Italy sulkily walked through the hallways of the building. He passed the library room, but he paused when he heard a familiar voice.

"Where is it..."

"Ve? Is that America?" Italy stuck his head through the doorway. Sure enough, the obnoxious world power was sitting on the floor next to several nearly-empty bookshelves, flipping through the pages of an a book. When he didn't find what he was looking for, he threw it aside, letting it join a mountain of discarded books near him.

"Wht are you doing, America?" Italy asked. The said nation looked up, surprise etched into his face. He then grinned.

"Hey, Italy! What's up? I'm just looking for this book, but I can't find it for some reason. A bunch of the other countries said I need to read it some time. I was going to read it today, but..." He then gestured at the messy library room. Italy nodded.

"What's the name of the book? Maybe I heard of it and I can tell you!"

"It's called, The Atmosphere. Heard of it?"

"No... Wait, I remember! Now that you mention it, Japan and a bunch of other people told me I have to read it too! Can I help?"

"Sure, if you want."

_Forty-five minutes later..._

"I can't find it," America grumbled, half-heartedly shuffling through the pages of the open book on the table, a bored expression on his face. Italy sighed forlornly in agreement.

"'The Atmosphere" book we have to read. Where could it be?" Italy wondered.

"We've looked everywhere and we still couldn't find it. It must be a legendary book…" America said. They both groaned in frustration. Then America perked up, flashing his trademark smile.

"But no matter how difficult it is, I won't give up! After all, I _am_ a hero!"

As America feverishly renewed his efforts, a mysterious woman in a long white cloak entered the library. The woman looked around until she spotted the two and walked up to them. Her large hood obscured almost of her physical features, save for some of her short, platinum blonde hair.

"What are you looking for?" she asked curiously.

Italy answered. "We're looking for the legendary Atmosphere we have to read!"

"The legendary atmosphere you have to read?" the girl repeated carefully. She stood there quietly, as if contemplating about something. Finally, she spoke.

"Maybe it's this," she said. The mysterious woman pulled out something from underneath a cloak. It was a book. She handed it to them. America and Italy stared at her with surprise, which quickly changed to pure happiness and delight.

"Really!?" America said, excited. She nodded sadly, as if she was remembering something rather painful that she would rather forget.

"You can keep it if you want. I don't need it."

Italy smiled happily, his curl bouncing up and down in time with his movements.

"_Grazie!_ How about we have some tea next time we meet?"

She smiled. "I look forward to it."

The woman rather hurriedly, but America and Italy didn't notice. They were too excited over the fact that they finally found the legendary Atmosphere book.

"The atmosphere that we have to read! We finally found it!" America examined the book carefully.

"Anyway, it looks really fancy. It has these gems encrusted on the cover."

The book was bound in smooth yet worn black leather, its parchment pages slightly yellowed and damaged. Five large, beautiful round gems glittered in a circle at the front of the book: red, white, black, blue, and green. The book itself looked quite ancient.

"And it doesn't have a title or the author's name. How weird," America noted.

"Maybe it's because it's a legendary book and not just an ordinary one?" Italy offered.

They stared at the book for a few moments, pondering the reason of the unlabeled book, but they quickly pushed it aside for later thought.

"Anyway, let's read it now!" Italy said excitedly. He opened the book to the first page. They quickly found the Table of Contents. It was separated to three sections.

"Oh, an index," Italy said. "Let's see… It looks like it's divided into three chapters."

Italy said the first chapter out loud. "Chapter One: Feliciano."

America spoke the second chapter's title with a clear voice. "Chapter Two: Alfred…"

Suddenly, the book started to pulse with a white glow, waves of energy flowing down the pages. The two of them tried to drop the book, but it was stuck to their hands. The five gems lit up, filling the room with their respective colors. Just as suddenly as it started, the light disappeared.

"Wh-what?!" Italy cried out. A brilliant golden circle of light surrounded him, glowing brightly. America stumbled away. As Italy reached out, his hands outstretched, he started to become transparent, before vanishing entirely. The golden circle faded.

"Italy!"A golden circle identical to Italy's then completely surrounded America. He raised his hands to shield himself from the blinding light. Gold encased him, obscuring his vision. America yelled out in shock and fear.

"Shit, what's going on?!"

With that, the circle gave off a blast of pure light. When it faded, America was gone, any traces of his existence erased. The book tumbled to the floor, the page still open at the index.

_Chapter One: Feliciano…_

**Review please~! It makes the author happy^^**


	2. Chapter One: Feliciano 1-1

_**New Chapter~! Anyway, I'm guessing you read my first chapter, and stuff. So yeah. By the way, since I'm watching the translations by SotetAG on youtube, the fighting moves won't be accurate and stuff. I'll try to write this correctly. Hetalia belongs to Hidekazu Himaruya. On with the story!**_

"...Hmm..."

Slowly, Italy gained consciousness, though his eyes still remained closed. He was lying on his back in what feels to be a grassy forest floor, the soft floral scent surrounding him. The occasional birdcall was heard, along with a few rustles of leaves. With effort, Italy propped himself up into a sitting position, rubbing his eyes sleepily with a free arm. When he opened them, he nearly had a heart attack.

"...Where am I?"

He was in a grassy meadow, surrounded by soft green grass stalks swaying slightly. A forest edged the clearing, thick vegetation and stout tree trunks reaching up to the farthest reaches of the sky, their leafy branches blocking out much of the brilliant blue. Warm golden sunlight fell dappled upon the leaf-strewn floor. A cool breeze wove past the trees and boulders and bushes, entering the large clearing. Playfully, the wind's cool finger's lightly batted at Italy's auburn locks. Italy looked around. As far as he knew, he was in an unfamiliar place. He whipped his head back and forth, scanning the area, looking for any clues identifying where he was. When he realized that he had absolutely no idea where the hell he was, Italy began to cry.

"AMERICAA! Where are you!" Italy wailed.

As he continued to sob, a rustling sound alerted him. He froze, fearful. Slowly, he turned his head, eyes directly staring where the rustling came from. It sounded much closer than the other sounds in the forest, much closer.

"A-America?!" Italy stammered.

A blurred dark shape sprang from the bushes. It sprinted up to Italy, stopping only a few feet from him. It was a wolf- one that was much larger than the normal kind. Eyes gleamed with a startling intelligence, teeth snapped loudly with a threatening manner. It eyed Italy, eyeing him with a murderous intent.

"VVVVEEEEEHHHHHH!" Italy shrieked, panicking. What was he supposed to do? He began to wave a white flag frantically he had with him frantically. The wolf ignored the flag and slowly approached him. With every step that it came closer, the wolf's grinning muzzle seemed to widen. Suddenly, it leapt into the air, landing not a foot from the crying nation. Italy recoiled.

"Eeek! GERMANYY!"

Italy barely managed to dodge the razor-sharp claws that swiped toward him. He could have sworn that the things were like knives as they harmlessly ripped through part of his left sleeve. For several minutes, the best that Italy could do was duck, dodge, run, roll. As the wolf continued to snap at him, an uncontrollable hunger in its eyes, Italy continued to tire. He panted heavily.

_I don't want to diieeee!_ Italy thought.

Blindly, Italy swiped his flag at the wolf. The flag's pole smacked it soundly in the muzzle. It yelped in pain, ducking away and rubbing at its nose. It growled, but this time with a more defensive tone.

"Veh!" Italy yelled.

Italy continued beating at the poor wolf, oblivious to its cries of pain and indignation. The final blow was when Italy slammed the wooden rod into the wolf's side with a crack, possibly fracturing a couple of ribs. It howled in pain. Finally, it backed away and turned to flee, its body aching rather painfully in various places from getting jabbed by the end of a flag pole multiple times. Italy stared at the retreating animal in shock.

"Wh-What the hell was thaat?!" he asked himself, bewildered by the recent events that had happened in front of him. After a while, Italy managed to calm down enough to explore his surroundings. He walked around in the meadow. Eventually, the meadow narrowed, then widened once more as he entered another clearing. As he walked, he pondered the events that had occurred.

"What just happened? This looks like one of those games from Japan's house..." He thought for a moment, and a new and much more terrifying thought came to him.

"Is this some kind of alternate world? Will I ever be able to go back to my world?" Italy began to cry from stress. "Veeehh! I'm so nervous! What if a strange monster or ghost appears?!"

Then he thought for a moment. "Oh, but it's the middle of the day, so there won't be any ghosts!"

Finally, Italy came to a clearing. There, he nearly got a heart attack _again. _Standing in front of him, was a silvery white shape. But it wasn't solid. Rather, it was _see-through. _

"Gh... Gh..." Italy shrieked loudly. "GHOOST!"

The semi-transparent figure turned around. It cried out to Italy as he turned to flee the area.

"W-Wait! Don't run away!" it begged.

Italy began to sob uncontrollably, arms wrapped protectively around himself. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! There are ghosts in the middle of the day! Please, don't curse mmeeeeeeee!"

"Just listen to me! I won't do anything to you!"

Italy instantly stopped crying, his cheeks still wet from his tears.

"... Really?"

The ghost smiled kindly. "Yep."

Italy walked closer to the ghost. He was a mirror image of him, save for the fact that he was dressed in an old-fashioned blue-and-black tunic, a simple white hooded cloak, cream-colored pants, and leather knee-high boots.

"Looks like you can see me," the ghost said. "I'm Feliciano. You?"

"I'm Italy. A silly boy who loves pasta and pizza," Italy replied. _What should I do?_ Italy thought. _I don't usually talk to ghosts..._

"Oh I love pasta too!" Feliciano answered. "I think we'll get along really well."

Feliciano examined Italy. "We kinda look alike too. It's like you aren't even another person."

Italy finally decided that Feliciano was friendly wouldn't try to kill him. He smiled happily.

"Yeah~ Maybe you're a doppleganger?"

_Wait. Don't we die when we meet one of those? I'll just ask about more important things now..._

"By the way, why are you see-through?" Italy asked.

Feliciano sighed, depressed. "To tell you the truth, I just died..."

Italy stared at him, still processing the information. Finally, it hit him. "Whaaat?! Wh-what happened?!"

"Actually..."

_Feliciano ran as fast as he could, tearing past tree trunks and wild vegetation. He looked back. The monster was still chasing him, steadily closing in. He closed his eyes, passing the last amount of trees and into a clearing. He stumbled, falling to the ground with a thump and a groan. Blood flowed heavily from multiple wounds all over his body and he was covered in blue-and-black bruises. Feliciano struggled to get to his feet, eyes widening. The monster stood only a few feet away from him, blocking all means of escape._

_"D-don't eat me! I don't have a nice taste!" Feliciano cried out._

_A young woman stepped into view from behind the monster. She was beautiful, with her silken platinum-blonde locks, slight yet lovely built, and sharp sapphire blue-violet eyes. The woman was dressed elegantly in a high-collared bell-sleeved dress made of a rich indigo fabric trimmed with fine lace. A satin cream sash was wrapped around her waist along with a large satin bow in her hair, and an elegant black ribbon nestled at her throat. She gazed coldly at Feliciano, a regal air surrounding her. The monster stood next to her, staring hungrily at Feliciano._

_"What are you going to do to me?" Feliciano asked slowly._

_"Something very simple." The woman's voice was cold, like frozen ice from an endless winter. Feliciano shivered._

_"That monster... Who are you? Do you have anything to do with the monsters?" he asked quietly_

_"Why do you want to know that?" the woman said coolly. "It's pointless, because you are going to die here."_

_She nodded once toward the monster. "Kill him."_

_The monster moved immediately. It struck out toward Feliciano, its claws swinging viciously toward him. Excruciating pain erupted where the dagger-like claws ripped easily through fabric and flesh. Feliciano felt his blood, sticky and hot, seeping irregularly out of the deep wound marring his chest. Feliciano coughed, hacking up clots of crimson blood. He backed away a few steps, until his legs buckled underneath him and collapsed. His vision fuzzy and tinged red, he looked up at the woman. She spoke calmly, as if ordering a murder was nothing more than talking of the weather to her._

_"Now you can no longer go to the meeting in Saia. I won't let anyone get in my way."_

_"... I knew it... So that's what you wanted." _

_F__eliciano continued to hack up blood, scarlet red dripping down his chin to land on the bloodied floor. "Lud... I'm... Sorry..."__Feliciano's strength was dwindling rapidly, his mind starting to become hazed. As his vision darkened to an impenatrable blackness, he heard the voice of the woman once more. It was soft and vague, as if she was speaking miles away from him._

_"... Since you are going to die, I will tell you. I am Natalya. Can you still hear me?"_

_..._

_.._

_._

**_Tell me your thoughts on this chapter in a review! Ciao~!_**


	3. Chapter One: Feliciano 1-2

**_Hi! It's me again, so we left off of Feliciano talking about his death in the last chapter, and we're picking up from what happened after Feliciano told his story. By the way, non bolded italics in parenthesis mean it's Feliciano talking, but only when Italy and Feliciano aren't by themselves. Italy will be talking in the same way (except without parentheseis and instead with " marks) when he's talking to ONLY Feliciano. And if in case you're confused, when Italy or whatever character the chapter is in point of view in, they think in only italcs. 'Kay?_**

**_Hetalia belongs to Hidekazu Himaruya. Hetaquest can be viewed on youtube with SotetAG's subs. On with the story!_**

"And that's what happened," Feliciano finished. His expression was sad, distant.

"So, what happened to your body?" Italy asked. Feliciano sighed. "It looks like they took it away."

Italy then tilted his had at this, thinking. "Why are you still here? Though, I guess it's because you're still attached to something in this world..."

Feliciano stood silently for a moment. "... I want you to look over there."

He pointed toward his right. Curious, Italy obliged. Searching through the tall grass, he found a pendant. It was a smooth, oval-shaped white crystal, roughly the size of a large marble. Its flawless pearly surface winked rainbow flashes in the warm sunlight. Italy then looked closer. At first glance the jewel appeared to be a simple white gemstone, but it after taking a closer look, Italy saw shimmery silver-white mist curling delicately through the heart of the stone. It pulsed with a soft light, giving off a gentle glow in his cupped palms. Thin copper wires encased the unblemished gem in elaborate twists and designs. The entire pendant was suspended on a fine bronze chain. Italy stared at the beautiful trinket, fascinated.

"A pendant? It has a white stone," Italy murmured.

"That pendant is very important to me!" Feliciano said agitatedly. "Right before I lost conscious, I realised I'd dropped that pendant, and I was so worried... When I came to, I was like this."

Italy for once put two and two together. He stared at Feliciano. "You're still here because you're attached to the pendant..."

Feliciano sighed quietly. "Well, that's not the only thing I'm attached to, though. Anyway, I'm so glad you're here! I was worried that someone who can't see me would take it away."

"This pendant is really important to you, isn't it?"

Feliciano smiled. "Yeah. It's a heirloom, and it's an important stock-in-trade."

"What are you going to do from now on?" Italy asked curiously.

Feliciano frowned slightly. "Actually, there are a lot of things I have to do..."

The two just stood next to each other, staring at the gemstone. Feliciano suddenly smiled, humming a faint melody.

"Italy! I have a favor to ask of you!"

Italy tilted his head sideways in confusion. "What is it all of a sudden?"

"I want you to pose at me for a while!"

"Pose as you? What exactly will I have to do?" Italy asked. He felt slightly uneasy and nervous. Even though Feliciano looked, talked, and acted exactly alike... How would he be able to pull that off?

"A friend of mine is going to meet with the patriarch of the village of Saia," Feliciano replied. "I was supposed to be a mediator in that meeting but..." He waved his arms in a helpless gesture in the air.

"Since I'm like this... I want you to go in my place!"

Italy stared at Feliciano. "What?! I can't! That sounds too difficult!"

"There's a little ritual you have to do, but it's very simple!"

"B-But you friend will see right through it!" Italy stuttered.

"It's okay! We look identical. I think our personalities are pretty similar, too. Besides, I'll go with you and give you advice I'll tell you everything you need to know."

"Hmm..." Italy pondered for a moment. Feliciano gazed at him with a begging expression on his face.

"Please! You're the only one I can ask!"

Italy surrendered with a sigh. "Alright! I'll try. I don't know how far I can go, though."

"Thank you!" Feliciano cried out happily. "Now, first you have to go to a village east of here. That's where my friend is."

"Alright," Italy said. "Let's go."

Italy took a step, and hesitated.

"What's wrong, Italy?"

"Where's east again?"

After Italy was formed exactly where the cardinal points were in this world, he left the clearing. As he walked, he found several gold coins hidden in a small patch of tall grass. He pocketed them in case he ever needed the gold.

"The village was east of here, right?"

"That's right," Feliciano said. "But some monsters have started appearing lately, so be careful. They're unusually big and look like mixes of different animals. They're called 'chimeras', but only a few people call them that. Most people call them 'monsters'." Feliciano sighed sadly. "They didn't exist before, though..."

"Don't you know why they started appearing?" Italy asked curiously.

"They first appeared around the imperial capital. I know they started spreading to the east... But I don't know where exactly they came from. But after what happened to me, now I know that that woman called Natalya, who led those monsters, has something to do with them!"

As Feliciano stared angrily at the floor, Italy then asked a question. "What animals do you normally have here, then?"

Feliciano thought for a moment. "Well... There are some wolves, and sometimes there are flying dragons I guess? If you go closer to the mountains, you might see some pheonixes!" Feliciano added.

Italy nodded his head shakily, startled at the idea of the newly-mentioned creatures actually existing in this world. "Er... Oh, I see..."

Italy quickly changed the subject. "By the way, that friend of yours, what's he like? Tell me about his personality."

Feliciano replied. "His name is Ludwig. I call him Lud. He's big and buff, but he's a really nice guy!"

"I see~" Italy said. _He sounds a lot like Germany!_ Italy thought.

Feliciano then stared at the sun's direction. About 30 minutes had past. "It's dangerous here too, so we'd better go to the town quickly."

"Yeah," Italy agreed.

Italy headed east, briskly walking toward the direction of the village. In no time, they managed to get to the village.

Italy went through the gates, past the fortified stone walls. He looked around. The buildings were quite old-fashioned in appearance. People bustled past. They were dressed in clothing worn in the medieval times. A man stepped out of a building with a sign labled "Inn." He was dressed in an elegant sleeveless black tunic with red piping, while his hands were covered by matching long gauntlet-like gloves that reached past his elbows. An emerald green cloak was draped over his shoulders, and a worn leather whip hung from his belt. The man had his blonde hair neatly combed back, with an air of control and power surrounding. Italy was startled on how he much he resembled Germany.

"Th-that peron over there..." Italy stammered.

The man looked around, until he spotted Italy. His ice-blue eyes narrowed. He marched up to Italy. His jaw was set, his eyes burned with anger. Italy backed up slightly.

"Where have you been?!" the man yelled. Feliciano instantly burst into tears. _Wah! It's Germanyyyy!_ he thought, panicking. Feliciano tried to calm him down.

_(Italy, this is Lud! He's really buff, so be careful!) _Feliciano warned.

Italy stopped crying for a moment, calming down. He nodded discreetly in understanding. _"O__h, I see! Okay!"_

_That's right, this isn't Germany, _Italy thought. Ludwig glared at Italy irritably.

"Feliciano! Are you even listening to me?!"

Both Italy and Feliciano jumped. Italy burst into tears once more. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry I went to the forest on my own!"

As Italy continued to wail, Ludwig sighed, shaking his head. "Honestly, you..."

Suddenly, Ludwig stared at Italy's clothes. His eyes narrowed slightly. "Hm? Hey, what happened to your clothes?"

_(Er...)_ Feliciano said nervously, even though Ludwig couldn't hear him. The two of them had forgotten about the fact that Italy's current clothing was _quite_ different from Feliciano's normal outift.

_(Tell him a good excuse!)_

"Uh... Sir, I fell over spectacularly and had to buy new clothes, sir!" Italy blurted. _Will he _really _buy that? My clothes are completely different... _

Apparently Ludwig was more concerned about the fact that Italy "fell", and brushed aside that obvious fact.

"You're not hurt, are you?" Ludwig asked, rather concerned. Italy shook his head. Ludwig sighed, running a hand through his blond hair. He stared sternly toward Italy, much more gently this time though still firm.

"... Make sure you're more careful in the future!"

"S-sir, yes, sir!" Italy replied quickly, saluting. Italy smiled. The Ludwig of this world was nice, just like Germany!

Ludwig glanced at the sky. The sun was starting to set. "You were gone for too long. Now it will be dark by the time we get to the forest. We have no choice but to spend the night here. Is that clear?"

"Sir, understood, sir!" Italy nodded vigorously.

Ludwig closed his eyes, obviously thinking. "There are things we need to get ready during the time we have left..."

He came to a decision. "I'll leave the money for the trip in your care but don't spend it on unnecessary things."

Ludwig handed several gold coins to Italy. They glinted brightly in the light. "I'll wait here. Don't waste the money."

"Yes, sir!"

When Italy left Ludwig at the gates, Italy began asking around. Apparently the village was called Lytia. During his chats, he received Pasta and Seasoning, which he quickly pocketed. He also learned that to get to Saia, they needed to go through a thick forest crawling with monsters, or "chimeras". After purchasing multiple items (weaponry and healing potions) from various stores, Italy headed back to the inn. Once they entered, Ludwig walked toward toward a small group of locals.

"I'll ask the villagers a little more about the forest," he said. "I want you to stay in the room watching over our belongings. Don't go anywhere on your own!"

"Sir, understood sir!" Italy said happily. When Italy got into their room, Feliciano appeared in thing air. He sighed, sitting on one of the stools at the table.

"Few. I can finally come out."

"That's pretty handy. Appearing and disappearing like that, I mean," Italy commented.

"I was worried that people would be able to see me if I was out," Feliciano explained.

Italy sat down at the other stool. "It looks like Ger- I mean Lu didn't suspect anything at all. I was surprised by how identical Lud is to a friend of mine! They even talk the same way!"

Felciano looked surprised. "Really? Maybe it's because we're similar, so our friends are also similar?"

Italy shrugged. Felciano then thought for a moment. "By the way, I was so caught up with asking you to take my place that I don't know anything about you."

"I don't know much about you, either. I wonder why I didn't ask any questions while we were coming here."

"It's not too late to do it now!" Feliciano said excitedly. "Oh, where are you from? I'm from Spina. Are you from Ramneyg by any chance?"

"Er... No."

"From Avenir, then? Though it's quite far from here."

"I don't think you'll believe me, but I'm not actually from this world. I wound up in this world after I opened a book I got from someone... I really want to go back to my world as soon as possible."

As Italy finished talking, he noticed Feliciano's expression. It was first shock, then disbelief. With wide eyes, he stared at Italy. Italy shifted in his seat, uncomortable.

_Err... Did I say something wrong?_

_**And there you have it, another chapter! The ending was weak but I had to end it SOMEWHERE! We meet Ger- I mean Ludwig YAY! Damn, that was long... Ugh... Please review!**_


	4. Chapter One: Feliciano 1-3

_**Hello! I'm back! So... we'll find out Feliciano's reaction! I'm pretty sure you people noticed I didn't edit the chapters I wrote so far... Meh. By the way, any names that have a symbol or something, I'm going to substitute with a normal letter. 'Kay?**_

_**Hetalia does not belong to me and belongs to Hidekazu Himaruya. Hetalia~!**_

_Eek! He's going to think I'm a wierdo! _Italy thought frantically.

Feliciano suddenly burst into a wide grin. "Awesome! This is the first time I met someone from another world!"

Italy stared at him, rather baffled. His jaw swung open, gaping. "You believe me?!"

Feliciano nodded several times, his expression cheerful and excited. "A long time ago, we used to mingle with people from another world. I'm so happy! I've always wanted to meet someone from another world!"

Italy stared at him for several seconds. Finally, he shrugged, deciding to ask questions later. "Don't you know how to go from one world to the other? I want to go back to my world as soon as I finish doing what you asked me to..."

Feliciano shook his head sadly, looking helpless. "I'm sorry. That was a long time ago; I don't know anything more than that."

"... I'll never be able to go back?" Italy slumped in his seat. Tears pricked at his eyes. _If I can't go back... then I'll never see my friends again! Or fratello! Or pasta!_

At his last thought, Italy cried loudly. No more of his precious pasta? Feliciano hurried to reassure him. "Maybe if you ask the patriarch of Saia tomorrow, he'll tell you? I heard he knows a lot!"

Italy looked up, his eyes glittering with new hope. "Really?! Now I feel kind of hopeful!"

Feliciano smiled encouragingly. "I'll help you go back to your world, too!"

"_Grazie,_ Feliciano!"

Feliciano giggled. Then he turned serious. "If you're from another world, I'd better explain to you about this world's geography and stuff."

He got up from the table. Italy watched him as he walked up to an worn map pinned to the wall. Three landmasses were drawn upon it. The most western contininent was covered in snow, the eastern had a large desert and rich vegetation, and the southern had land stretching all the way to both sides of the paper. Italy pointed toward the map.

"There's a map here, so I'll make it simple."

Feliciano pointed toward a small village in the western section of the southern continent. "This is where we are now- Lytia." He then gestured at the entire landmass. "And this continent is called Lebon. It's ruled by the Ara Empire." He pointed at the most western area of Lebon. "Saia, the place where we're going, is in this area, and it's an autonomous region. That's why they have a unique culture."

Feliciano then gestured at the most Eastern continent. "This continent is the one I mentioned before- Avenir. It's ruled by the Kingdom of Age. The north is very green, but the other half of the continent is a desert."

Finally, Feliciano turned his attention to the whitest landmass. "This continent is called Proshloye. It's ruled by the Vyek Empire. I've never been there myself, but I heard it has nothing but snow."

Feliciano turned back to Italy. He smiled. "I guess that's in a nutshell. There are other towns, though. Do you want me to tell you about them, too?"

Italy shook his head quickly. His head felt like it was going to explode. "Can we stop here? Even if you tell me more, I won't be able to remember any of it." He then smiled. "Thank you for telling all that, Feliciano!"

Feliciano smiled. Suddenly he froze, as if he was listening for something. He then disappeared, leaving Italy wondering what was the matter. Fortunately for him, his answer came a few moments after. Ludwig came in, his face solemn and a tad irritated.

"It seems that it really is too dangerous to go into the forest right now. There aren't only wild animals, but also chimeras."

Italy gazed at him, unsurprised. "They were outside of the village, too, weren't they?"

Ludwig closed his eyes. He leaned against the wall, back against the hard surface and tilting his head upwards. His hand reached to the side of his face, rubbing the temple there. Ludwig grumbled in frustration. "Damn. Then it is true that they're coming to the outskirts of Lytia."

Italy sighed. "I wonder what they're after... "

Ludwig reopened his eyes. "All we know is that they clearly aren't natural. I hope we can get Saia's cooperation..."

He trailed off, almost appearing to be uncertain of his task. To lighten the mood, Italy smiled brightly. "I wonder what the patriarch is like. I hope he is a nice guy."

Ludwig smiled faintly. "I wonder."

Italy then remembered why they were still in the inn. "We're going to spend the night here, aren't we?"

"Yes. We are going to get up early tomorrow. Make sure you get plenty of rest today."

_"Va bene!"_ Italy replied.

After a good night's sleep, Italy woke up. Ludwig wasn't in the other bed. Instead, the sheets were neatly tidied up and arranged nicely. _Veh! Lud's probably outside right now,_ Italy thought. He got up, dressed, and walked out of the room, carefully closing the door behind him. He wandered the hallway, making for the inn door. But, he came to the kitchen first. None of the cooks were up yet, and the kitchen was empty, save for a couple of crates. Out of curiosity, he searched through them. He found seafood, or more specifically, some small fish, shrimp, and shellfish in a bag. Thinking that the cooks wouldn't miss it, since there were lots more where that came from, he took the bag with him.

Italy went outside. Ludwig was waiting for him. His foot was tapping the ground impatiently. "About time you came out. Let's go."

Italy smiled. "Okay!"

**... Wow. I SUCK at making endings when I'm following someone else's storyline. Oh well. ****Ciao. REVIEW! It makes the author happy^^**


	5. Chapter One: Feliciano 1-4

_**Ciao, readers! I am back with another chapter! **__**Also, I have another novelized story I'm writing called "Tales of Hetalia". It's created by a somewhat-acquaintance of mine on Youtube. This story is also fantasy/adventure in another world, but it has a pretty awesome storyline. Check it out please and give me your thoughts on it!**_

_**This story is based on SotetAG's translations. Hetaquest doesn't belong to me but to that awesome person I can't remember who made the game. Also... some of the dialogue isn't actually in the game, but I added it in for consistency, and I'm just calling it a Restoration Circle because I don't know what the heck it actually is called. Hetalia does not belong to me and belongs to Hidekazu Himaruya. Hetalia~!**_

Italy and Ludwig left the village of Lytia. As they walked past the sprawling grasslands surrounding them, they were ambushed by something that looked like a pile of blue goop and a wolf similar to the one that had attacked Italy the first time he arrived in this world. Of course, Italy burst into tears, frantically waving his flag.

"Waah! Lud help me!"

"Idiot, get away from the monsters!"

Ludwig brandished his whip, slashing it at the wolf. It yelped upon impact, then snarled. Italy hid behind Ludwig. Ludwig ducked underneath the swipes from the wolf's claws, yelling at Italy to help him.

"Feliciano, help me already! At least attack the blue jelly-monster thing!"

Ludwig moved out-of-the-way as he dodged the wolf's next attack, leaving Italy exposed. Of course, he started wailing, flailing his arms (and flag) about. Miraculously, the end of the flag pole slammed into the "blue jelly-monster thing" as Ludwig had deemed it. Fortunately, it was a direct hit and caused a good amount of damage. Unfortunately, it now had its sights on Italy.

"Waah! Help! "

Italy ran as fast as he could, scrambling past Ludwig, who had just finished off the now unconscious wolf. He sighed, but still went after Italy to save his friend. "Hold still, Feliciano, or else I won't be able to get the thing!"

In the end, Ludwig managed to crack his whip against the blue jelly-monster, causing it to disintegrate. In its place was a small pile of gold coins. Ludwig picked up the coins and pocketed them before turning to Italy.

"We better move quickly. There are more monsters around." Italy nodded meekly, and quickly hurried after his companion.

The two travelers met with many other monsters and dealt with them quickly. By the time that they reached the forest, both of them were quite tired and had a small fortune from the spoils of the monsters. As Italy slumped against a rock, Ludwig walked up to the very edge of the forest and into it a couple of meters. He examined what area he could see carefully. Italy watched him curiously from the safety of the meadows.

"Lud? What's wrong?" Italy asked. He quickly caught up to him. Ludwig stared at the dark treetops towering far above them, frowning.

"Don't you think it's odd?" he asked suddenly. Italy cocked his head.

"Huh? What is?"

"Even though this is such a rich forest, there is no sign of spirits." Italy nodded his head, trying to seem to understand.

"... You're right." _I don't know anything about signs of spirits!_ he thought. Why were the spirits so important? Ludwig didn't notice Italy's distress.

"Perhaps the original master of this forest is gone," he said thoughtfully. Italy was silent. Ludwig continued, "I have no idea what might come up. Let's proceed with caution." Italy sighed in agreement.

"Yeah."

With that, the two walked deeper and deeper into the dark forest. The woods were calm, quiet. Too quiet, for Italy's taste. He shivered fearfully as he dutifully followed Ludwig, who was leading. Italy's head darted around, looking for any signs of unwanted attention. He was sure that he could feel multiple pairs of eyes boring into his back.

"Ludwig... I don't like this." The said person kept his eyes forward, warily watching for enemies.

"Just keep walking. Stay close to me. Don't get lost." They pasted multiple clearings that looked identical to each other and very tight paths encased with trees and bushes. Italy felt like he was suffocating under the half-light filtered through the unbearably thick treetops. He slowly began to realise why it was so important to stay near Ludwig. The forest was practically a maze. He shuddered.

Suddenly, a pair of flying monsters similar to salmon-colored hybrids of a bat and bird appeared before them. Ludwig cursed as he brandished his whip at the two creatures. Italy held back, fearful.

"Feliciano! Come here and help me deal with these things!" Reluctantly, Italy entered the battle. The duo managed to finish off the wild creatureds more quickly than he thought. A small amount of coins and other spoils glittered where the bodies of the monsters were before they had disintegrated. They quickly took the riches, and headed deeper in the forest.

Ludwig quickly strided through the thick forest, Italy closely behind. Eventually, they came to a bridge. Ludwig had already crossed, while Italy quivered from his post next to the poles securing the bridge. Rolling his eyes, Ludwig grumbled.

"Mein Gott, Feliciano. Nothing's going to happen. Get over here."

"Veh... Lud, what if I fall into the river? I'll drown!" Italy wailed.

"Cross. This. Damn. Bridge. Right. Now."

"B-But-"

"... Feliciano. We don't have anytime to spare," Ludwig said calmly. "If you fall, I'll catch you. So, _get moving!"_

"Veh!"

Ludwig managed to get Italy to cross the river with many threats and reassurances. They continued to make their way through the forest, and encountered multiple monsters, but still managed to kill them all off. By the time they managed to draw to the edge of the forest of the forest, they were exhausted and weary from sparring. Luckilly, they managed to find a Restoration Circle, which completely healed their wounds and refreshed their energy levels. As the trees in front of them began to thin, Ludwig spoke.

"We're almost out of the forest."

"Yay!" Italy cheered. "Now we can say goodbye to the monsters!"

"I didn't expect to find monsters this far into the forest," Ludwig said thoughtfully. "Saia might not be safe, either."

Italy suddenly felt chills run up his spine. He spun around. Ludwig brandished his whipe. Softly, hissing sounds came from the thick bushes near them. Italy had to strain to hear the words.

"... _THE STONE... GIvE ME the stone..."_

_"_There's something there!" Italy shrieked. A large reptilian head poked out from underneath leafy vegetation. It eyed the two travelers with hungry eyes. Ludwig sucked in a breath.

"Shit, it's huge!

The large head was followed by a rope-like body the width of a tree trunk and twice as long. Long white feathers trailed across silver-bright scales. Ruby eyes gleamed in the dark, flashing brightly. Italy froze like a deer in headlights as the head of the serpent hissed and darted toward him.

"Duck!"

Just when the snake lunged at him with a frightening amount of speed, Ludwig grabbed at Italy's legs, tackling him. The snake skidded by and slammed into a tree trunk headfirst, its raspy voice now shrill with pain. Ludwig shook Italy.

"Feliciano! What the hell were you thinking, freezing up like that?! Doing things like that will get you killed!"

"I-I-"

Ludwig pulled out his whip, cracking it in the air. Groggily, the snake looked up, still woozy from the concussion it had just received thanks to its encounter with the now smashed up tree. Ludwig smirked.

"Hyah!" Ludwig lunged, the lash flying through the air. It wrapped around the serpent's neck, suffocating it. Ludwig pulled, panting from the effort. The monster crashed to the ground. Ludwig allowed himself a small, satisfied smile, but it faded rather quickly when the beast flung him into the air. He hit the ground heavily.

"Lud!" Italy quickly ran to Ludwig. He groaned painfully, .

"Mmmm..." The snake slithered slowly toward them, its tongue flicking in out out between its long fangs in an almost satisfied manner. Italy threw his flag at the monster, hitting it squarely in the face. It recoiled quickly.

"_SSSSsss!" _Ludwig managed to get to his feet, hissing in pain from the quickly blossoming bruises he had obtained from his fall. The two friends watched as the serpent half-heartedly slithered toward them, still hissing softly.

_"...THE STONE... GIvE IT to ME!"_ Ludwig by then had managed to retrieve his whip, and he visciously beat the poor snake.

"Shut up!" The snake slowly slithered away, cringing at the many slashes marring its scales. It vanished into the forest silently. Ludwig and Italy stood in the clearing, panting heavily. Italy walked up to the spot where the snake had been just before. He stooped down. A single silver scale glittered at his feet.

"That one felt kind of different from those we saw before."

"It was telling us to give it the stone," Ludwig replied, frowning at the memory.

"What stone was it talking about?" Italy asked. He picked up the scale, examining it closely. Unblemished and icy cold, it gleamed brightly in the soft light. Ludwig didn't answer for a long moment. He then shook his head grimly.

"... If it's the same stone I'm thinking of, we'd better hurry it up. this is more serious than I thought. Let's get going. We need to reach Saia soon." Italy nodded.

"Alright." Italy allowed the scale to slip from his fingers, watching it fall to the leaf-strewn forest floor.

**... Writing this sucked. I couldn't get the battle scenes right. Even now, after I rewrote it like 4 times, I'm still not satisfied. Oh well. I'll edit it some point of time. Review please~! It makes the author happy^^**


	6. Chapter One: Feliciano 1-5

_**Hello, amazing readers who stuck with me long enough to read this far! Sorry for being late, but as you already know, I suck at keeping to a schedule =.= By now, all I can promise that I will update 1-3 times a month, but I will still try to update on weekends. The costume jokes like "Shinatty-chan" and anything like that I will not convert into this story because I have no clue how to add it. So... Ludwig and Italy will not stop for anything like that. Also, please review! I need some constructive criticism to improve!**_

_**reminder:**_

_"Blahblahblah" **Is Italy and Feliciano having their private conversation.**_

_blahblahblah __**is Italy's thoughts**_

_**Hetalia**** does not belong to me and belongs to Hidekazu Himaruya. Hetaquest also doesn't belong to me. Hetalia~!**_

Italy and Ludwig managed to get to the edge of the forest without any more injuries and arrived at Saia shortly after. As they walked through the streets, they asked locals where they could find the patriarch. All of them generously pointed them toward the back of the bustling town. The patriarch's home was white with a golden roof held up by delicately carved columns and decked with elegant oriental designs. The building was surrounded by tall peach-colored walls draped with ivy and a steep set of stairs led to a set of glossy black doors.

As they entered, the two travelers walked down a carpet of crimson silk. Beautifully painted walls lined the sides of the hallway, and they occasionally saw slim doors here and there. The end of the long corridor opened to a large rectangular room with a carved walnut desk and a chair. Three people stood in front of it. All three had dark brown hair and oriental features.

The young man at the left was dressed in plain grey pants and white boots with black laces. A high-collared sapphire-blue jacket with red and gold trimmings covered his upper body and a golden asian knot ornament with red and white beads hung over his shoulder. The girl in the middle had baggy cream pants on and brilliant red slippers. She wore a ruffled salmon-pink tunic with a classic asian collar in gold cord as well as a red-and-green belt and a crimson asian knot ornament with red, blue, and white beading tied to it. The last man was dressed in bright grass-green and turquoise with black sandals over white socks. A knot ornament in the same shade of green as his tunic with white, blue, red, and black beading was attached to his shoulder in a similar fashion to the other boy.

When the three siblings acknowledged their presence, Italy stepped aside for Ludwig as he walked toward their hosts. He cleared his voice.

"I am Ludwig, the envoy from Ramneyg. Is the patriarch here?"

The girl introduced herself and her brothers. "My name is Xiao Mei. These two next to me are my elder brother Tao and my younger brother Yong Soo." She then shook her head in reply to Ludwig's question. "I'm sorry, but the patriarch is not at home at the moment."

Italy frowned thoughtfully. _I've seen these three before... _Italy snapped back to attention as Ludwig replied.

"Even though you supposedly informed him that an envoy was coming beforehand?" Ludwig asked, traces of suspicion in his voice.

Xiao Mei nodded and said, "He was informed repeatedly, but he had some urgent business to attend to..."

"We just came all the way here through the forest. I wish he would show me some courtesy as well," Ludwig said irritably. Italy nudged him. "Lud! I don't like the way you're acting."

Ludwig raised an eyebrow. "... Is that so? But it's only natural."

"You're being too intimidating. You're scaring them! Honestly..." Italy smiled at Xiao Mei apologetically. "I'm sorry, Xiao Mei. He isn't a bad guy, really."

She shook her head. "No, we're the ones in the wrong..."

"Where did the patriarch go?" Italy asked. Tao was the one who answered this time.

"The patriarch Wang Yao went to the mountains in the south."

"And Kiku went with him!" Yong Soo added cheerfully.

"Kiku?" Ludwig asked.

"He's our brother," Xiao Mei answered. "He's the eldest one."

"What were your brother and the patriarch going to do in the mountains?" Italy asked curiously.

"Some monsters have started appearing around here lately, and they have attacked the phoenixes in the southern mountains..."

"Phoenixes are precious creatures," Tao finished. "Wang Yao and Kiku went to exterminate those monsters."

"Actually, they should have already been back by now, but they haven't come back," Yong Soo added. His tone was worried.

Xiao Mei quietly said, "We're very worried, but I don't think we're strong enough to make it where they are..."

"Besides," Yong Soo sighed. "It's our duty to guard the Red Jewel..."

At this, Italy's ears pricked up. He walked over to the desk just enough to take a glimpse at the gem. "Wow, so pretty!" He exclaimed breathlessly.

He was correct. The jewel was about the size of a ping-pong ball and was as smooth and glossy as a crystal orb. The entire gemstone was a deep crimson red, covered with delicate etchings of countless elaborate asian hieroglyphs. It pulsed a soft reddish glow against the snowy silk pillow it rested upon.

"The jewel is very important to us," Tao said calmly.

"The Red Jewel is one of the five Gems that were destroyed by the Hero," Xiao Mei finished.

"Is that the real thing?" Ludwig asked.

As they began to discuss, Italy panicked. _"__Feliciano!" _Italy called silently. _"They've started talking about gems and a hero and other stuff I don't know about!"_

Luckily for Italy, Feliciano answered back quickly. _Err, It's a very old legend. Everyone in this world knows about the Hero and the Gems. A long time ago, there were five Gems that God used to create this world. There are five colors- white, red, black, blue, and green- and each one had a mysterious power. The Gems made everyone's lives wealthier, but eventually, the people who had more Gems began to get more political power. It was necessary to get the Gems in order to obtain great power, so there were disputes over the ownership of Gem mines._

_"By the way," _Feliciano added. "_I heard that people still mingled with other worlds back then."_

_Back to the story. The one who put an end to those disputes over the Gems was the Hero. The Hero, along with five companions, travelled the whole world to mediate the disputes. He blockaded the mines wherever he went and destroyed all the Gems he found. By the way, I heard that this hero was from Spina so I'm proud of him~!" _Feliciano said cheerfully.

_"Thanks to the Hero's efforts, now only the harmless 'Memory Stone' is left in the world. The Memory Stone can be found all over the continents, so no one fights over it and it doesn't have any strong powers that can be used for war, so there was no need to destroy it. Remember my pendant? That's a Memory Stone."_

_"Maybe the monster in the forest we ran into in the forest was after this stone?" _Italy asked silently.

_"Maybe," _Feliciano murmured. _"The Memory Stone in my pendant is special and has similar properties to the White Jewel."_

_"Just in case the Gems were ever needed, the Hero's companions were entrusted to make jewels out of the most powerful Gems in each color. And then, in order to protect the jewels, they each built a town. The towns that the companions built became the foundation of nations and regions that we now have in this world, and Saia is one of them. All this time, the people of Saia have been protecting the Red Jewel entrusted to their ancestors by the Hero."_

_"I think... I get it now," _Italy said slowly. He then thanked Feliciano for the help and addressed the other four in the room. "What if we go after the patriarch and your brother in your stead?"

Xiao Mei stuttered in shock. "W-we couldn't possibly impose on you for something like that! I mean, this is a family matter..."

"No," Ludwig said calmly. "If you say they are taking too long to come home, maybe something happened."

"Can we ask you this favor?" Tao asked uncertainly.

"Sure, you can count on us! We just came out of a forest full of monsters!" Italy answered reassuringly.

"Thank you!" Yong Soo cried out cheerfully.

"That reminds me," Ludwig said thoughtfully. "When we were on our way here, we encountered a monster in the forest that kept telling us, 'give me the stone.' It's possible that it was talking about the Jewel, so please be careful."

Xiao Mei nodded solemnly. "I understand."

"There are many dangerous monsters in the mountains. You should get ready," Tao said calmly.

_I've seen him somewhere__... who was it again?_

"The Red Jewel is a stone that stops time for its User... We can't let anyone steal it. Please help them," Xiao Mei murmured.

_She looks familiar_, Italy thought.

"Phoenixes are docile, so I don't think they attacked them," Yong Soo advised.

_I've seen him somewhere before... Who was it, again?_

Italy and Ludwig thanked them for their time and left the room, determined to see what had stopped the patriarch from returning to Saia. As Italy and Ludwig walked down the stone steps of the patriarch's home, Ludwig spoke.

"We will need to replenish our supplies before heading off to see what happened to the patriarch. Let's stop at a curio and weaponry shop. Alright?"

"Si!" Italy answered in agreement. They quickly managed to find a store with the items they needed. Ludwig bought a glossy whip spiked with dark, razor-sharp thorns and a shield covered with metallic blue scales along with buying more medicinal herbs and potions for first aid. As Ludwig placed the payment due on the counter, Italy wandered out of the shop and to the building on the other side of the street. It was two-stories high, simple in both structure and decor. He entered it hesitantly.

He was met with bookcases upon bookcases with shelves filled with books in elegant leather bindings and neatly stamped with titles like History of Saia or A Lesson in Medicinal Practices and How to Identify and Control Thaumaturgy. Italy looked around, hesitant to touch the books, even though they might have badly needed information. Eventually, he spotted a white-haired woman in spectacles sitting at a table not far away from him. She appeared to be reading something. The woman looked up.

"Hello. Are you needing something?" she asked pleasantly.

"Err... If you don't mind me asking, what are you reading? It looks interesting."

"It is alright for you to ask. I research thaumaturgy, which what this book is centered around. Is there anything you would like to ask me about it?"

"What is thaumaturgy?"

The woman pushed up her spectacles. "'Thaumaturgy' is what we call 'magic' in this region. Magic is something that expends your spiritual energy and makes one part of nature yours."

She calmly listed off the different elements. "Fire, Water, Ice, Wind, Thunder, Earth, Light, and Dark - you can control these at will. There are people who can use all elements, and there are also people who can only use one. This is a matter of gift. As for healing magic, it's not related to any element. In order to use it, it is necessary to have a gift that is different from the eight elements I mentioned before. By the way, special techniques and food are generally called 'skills'. Is there anything else you want to ask me?"

Italy nodded vigorously. When he first asked about thaumaturgy, he had only been his usual curious self, often running off in the middle of the lecture to do god-knows-what. Instead, he was now burning with questions. After all, who _wouldn't_ want to know about magic? _Except for Germany..._ Italy pushed away that thought hurriedly.

"Which people have the gift?"

"Not everyone has the gift. It is said that many people with the gift live either in the region of Saia or in the region of Elgnand, in Avenir. There are people with the gift in other areas as well, but they don't have the custom of using magic, many go through their whole lives without realising it. Is there anything else you want to ask me?"

"What is the difference between healing magic in food?" Italy had really _really _wanted to know about this one. Maybe he'll be able to prove that pasta _can _save the day!

"Both healing magic and food restore your physical strength, but healing magic expends MP, or your Magical Power, whereas food expends ingredients. By the way, while healing magic and food restore a constant amount, healing items such as the Healing Potion heal in percentage. As for which method is the most efficient, it depends. Is there anything else you would like to ask me?"

"No," Italy answered.

"If there is anything you don't know, you can ask me anytime." The woman said warmly, smiling. He then repeatedly thanked the woman for generously sharing such information, and walked out of the library with high spirits... only to cower at Ludwig's wrath.

"Feliciano! Where were you?! When I turned around at the shop and you weren't there, I nearly had a heart attack!" Ludwig bellowed. His piercing blue eyes smoldered with anger and utter exasperation and annoyance.

"Waah! I'm sorry, Lud! I won't do it again!" Italy blubbered, sobbing loudly. Ludwig sighed, running his hand through his hair, somehow not getting a single blond strand out of place.

"... It's alright, Feliciano. Just don't ever do it again, okay? Stop crying." Italy instantly ceased his tears, putting on his trademark sunny grin.

"Okay!"

"Whatever. Anyway, we should move quickly. We wasted enough time." Ludwig then grabbed Italy's shoulders, dragging him out of the bustling town of Saia.

"Yay! Let's go!" Italy cheered.

**Review please~! It makes the author happy^^**


	7. Chapter One: Feliciano 1-6

_**Hello! I finally returned with a new chapter!**_

_**Hetalia**** does not belong to me and belongs to Hidekazu Himaruya. Hetaquest also doesn't belong to me. You can watch the actual thing on SotetAG's channel. Hetalia~!**_

It took a little more time than Ludwig had wished to reach the mountains where the Patriach and his assistant were. They had to fight through several monsters: pale carnivorous plants with salmon pink petals and snake head leaves, glowing blue anenome-shaped creatures with dripping fanged centers, and other wild beasts. Finally, they stood in front of a huge rocky mountain. The entrance was a simple pair of grecian-style columns in front of a large opening where Italy assumed was the opening to a mountain trail. As he hesitated, Ludwig gave a small push from behind.

"Come on." Ludwig brushed past him, vanishing into the darkness of the cave. Italy paused, but followed meekly.

The caverns in the mountain were spacious and confusing to maneuver. Ludwig had to continuously double back when they hid a dead end, cursing irritably under his breath. Their situation worsened even more when a few of the monsters had cornered them in on of the many dead ends along the trail way. Ludwig was too far away to be of assistance to Italy, too busy fending off the monsters harassing him. As the green tentacles slowly crept toward Italy, he burst into tears. He closed his eyes, crying out soft pleads. An arm was held protectively over his face.

_"Somebody help me!"_

A red and green ball of light erupted from an outstretched hand, slamming into the monster. It disintegrated, and the ball of light quickly charged the other two that had surounded Ludwig. As Italy stared in wonder at the bright light hovering in front of him, it seemed to giggle. A warm summery glow gently pulsed from it, along with the fresh smell of tomatoes and wood. Wait... he remembered that scent... like... a box of tomatoes?

"... Are you the tomato box fairy? Italy asked, eyes for once open in wonder. It merely let out another bubbly giggle, before circling him and vanishing back into his palm. Once the last spark of light vanished, Italy began to sway, exhausted. Ludwig had barely managed to stop him from falling to the floor. A bottle of green potion was quickly placed at his lips, and he swallowed. A strong wave of energy filled him. Once he emptied the bottle, Ludwig slipped the now-empty bottle into the pack containing the medicinal herbs and potion and eased Italy back onto his feet.

"Interesting... I never knew you had that kind of ability, Feliciano."

Italy could only shrug as an answer. He still felt pretty tired, even after taking the potion. At least he wasn't passed out on the floor. When Italy didn't answer, Ludwig quickly started a brisk walk, making sure to support Italy as he did so.

"We better start moving quickly. Who knows what other monsters are in these caverns..."

/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~/

After they managed to get through the ground level of the mountain trail, they found a set of stairs. A Restoration Circle shimmered brightly next to it. Once they healed themselves using the Restoration Circle, they climbed up the stone stairs to the next part of the trail. Ludwig looked around.

"Looks like this is the Summit," Ludwig murmurred thoughtfuly.

"Where's the patriach?" Italy asked, a bit concerned. An angry screech cut the air, along with some frantic shouts and yelps. They jumped in alarm. Ludwig pulled on Italy's arm.

"That way!"

They ran down a long stone path, bursting into a roofless clearing. A stone balcony overlooked the steep edge. Two men were facing a whirling orb of fire. The younger was dressed in a hooded, longsleeved oriental-style white tunic with green piping, dark gray sandals, and a sheathed Japanese katana at his green belt. A dark blue knot ornament hung there as well. The older was dressed in a rich scarlet overgarment trimmed with gold over a cream-colored robe.

A blast of flame came near the younger man, shoving him back with a grunt. "Ugh!"

The red-orange robed man looked up in alarm. "Kiku!"

He quickly stepped in front of Kiku, pulling him to his feet. The man spoke urgently to him. "You have to run now! I'll manage on my own!"

Kiku shook his head stubbornly. "I can't do that!"

Ludwig strode briskly over to the two. They looked up in surprise as he approached. "Are you alright?!" he yelled.

"Who are you?!" Kiku asked, still shocked.

Once Italy had come close enough to distinguish the two men, his eyes widened. _Japan?! And China, too! When I thought Xiao Mei and her brothers looked familiar, it was because they were all nations close to Japan!_

"Er, are you Kiku? Xiao Mei and her brothers sent us to look for you!" Italy explained.

"They asked you to do that?!" Kiku asked, startled and a bit embarrassed that his siblings would do such a thing. His companion pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "Aiyah! Those idiots! How could they send our guests?!"

Ludwig interrupted, a bit impatient. "We'll talk later! I'll assist you!"

The blazing orb of flames starting to burn more brightly, lashes of flame whipping out at a faster pace. "GIVE... stone..."

"Veeeeeeeeeeeh! It's heeeerrrre!" Italy whimpered, backing away to hide behind Ludwig. A piercing shriek cut through the air, the sound of a bird of prey's cry. The ball of fire burst apart, winking out of existence. Where there once was the blazing orb, was a majestic bird. The wings were golds and blacks, with large scarlet feathers spreading wide to catch stray rays of sunlgiht streaming past rocky walls. It's body was of the same coloring, and its head was crowned with a stunning blaze of crimson fire. A silver-grey snake purtruded out from the bird's body, hissing menacingly at the small group. It was easily three times bigger than Ludwig drawn up to full height.

As it screamed a battle cry, Ludwig quickly shoved Italy aside. "Move!"

They barely managed to duck, before a blast of intense gold flame rained down where they had just stood. Ludwig pulled his iron-studded whip from his belt, brandishing it at the blazing creature before him.

"Back!"

When the twisted phoenix only screeched angrily as a response, Ludwig flicked his wrist, bringing down his whip with a powerful blow. The lash's long reach granted a hit, causing the monster to screech with pained agony. With another swing, Ludwig wrapped the whip's lash around the bird's neck, swinging it around and crashing against the floor. He quickly pulled his weapon back.

With an angry cry, the bird arched its neck high into the air. The monster swung its wing, knocking Ludwig back into the rocks. Luckily the shield had taken most of the damage, but it still would be very painful for Ludwig. Italy quickly darted to Ludwig's side, pulling open the pack to pull out one Pasta and a Seasoning. Now's the time to put the information that the librarian had given him to use.

Feeling a bit uncertain, Italy grouped the two Ingredients together and placed his hands above them. He concentrated, staring hard at his hands. At first nothing happened, but eventually a warm rosy gold light enveloped the two Ingredients, covering them with the reddish glow. It faded quickly, leaving Italy holding a small ball of Pasta. The rich scent of tomato sauce and spices wafted up to Italy's nose, but he resisted the urge to take a bite. He quickly popped the Pasta into Ludwig's mouth. Interestingly, no tomato sauce coated his fingers, nor had he felt the usual warm slipperiness that comes from fresh pasta. Well, it _is_ magic, after all.

As Ludwig swallowed, some color returned to his face. He got up shakily, but he managed to stay on his feet.

"Thanks, Feliciano."

Meanwhile, while Ludwig and Italy had been busy with first aid, Kiku had decided to attack. After murmuring an incantation, a shimmering seal of green light appeared before his outstretched palm. With an elegant swipe a powerful gust of wind followed his arm's every movement, slamming into the bird and blasting it quite effectively.

Kiku's companion approached the creature from behind, moving with an elegant grace. As the phoenix faltered in its flight, flapping about desperately, he closed his eyes and clasped his hands together. A softly murmured encantation, before snapping his eyes open and leaps like a gazelle through the air. His clenched fist slammed into the back of the monster, causing it to crash to the floor. As it laid there stunned, the man drew his arm back once for. A swirl of white and green encased his fist, a bright splash of color among the drab browns and grays of stone.

Once the glowing fist smashed into the bird's back once more, it gave out a loud keening shriek. The light surrounding the man's fist grew brighter, while the beast began to shudder. It's feather's became discolored and fell away to listlessly drift to the floor, and the flame crowning its head began to dim. Slowly, the once-phoenix began to disintigrate underneath the man's hands, leaving behind only dust and gold.

The man got up, dusting off his hands. "Thank goodness that is over."

Italy stared forlornly where the phoenix once was. "But they told me that phoenixes are docile..."

The China-lookalike followed his gaze, replying, "That one was a little different. I never thought a phoenix would be turned into a monster."

Where his superior trailed off, Kiku continued. "Real phoenixes are delicate, beautiful creatures. Moreover, they don't speak the human language."

"This one also demanded that we give it something," Ludwig recalled.

"Maybe they're really after the Jewel, after all?" Italy suggested, giving a soft sigh.

As they pondered the strange events, the scarlet-robed man bowed deeply, with Kiku doing the same. "I'm sorry that you had to go through all that trouble, especially when you came from so far away." When he tilted his head back to its original position, he smiled. "But you really helped us! Xiexie! What are your names?"

"Ludwig," Italy heard his companion say firmly. "I come as an envoy from Ramneyg."

"I'm It-Feliciano, the mediator!" Italy quickly said. He held his breath for a moment, before sighing in relief when he realised that the others hadn't noticed his mistake.

The man nodded slowly, deep in thought. "Ludwig and Feliciano... I see."

"By the way, where's the patriach?" Italy asked curiously. "Is he hiding somewhere?"

Ludwig nodded, evidently agreeing with Italy's words. "I was told that two people came to the mountains... Was it actually three?"

Kiku glanced toward his superior. "Err..."

"What are you talking about?" The elder man asked.

Italy tilted his head. "Veh?"

The red-orange robed man drew himself up to his full height. "I am the patriach."

Ludwig could only stare at the newly-revealed patriach in shock, while Italy laughed, "Oh come on! You look younger than me! You can't possibly be the patriach..."

The man stared at Italy blankly, who in turn eventually faltered. "Wait, are you serious?"

Ludwig turned his gaze away, a light pink dusting his cheeks. "Wang Yao, forgive our rudeness."

Yao smiled. "Don't worry about it. The Guardian's family is special even in our village. The Red Jewel has the power to stop time for its User. That's why I look like this even though I'm quite an old man."

Italy gazed at the patriach with a new-found wonder. _The power of the Red Jewel is amazing..._

Kiku looked toward Yao, looking a bit concerned. "Mr. Wang Yao, shouldn't we go back to the village now? Xiao Mei and the others must be worried."

Ludwig added, "And there is no need for us to stay any longer."

Yao nodded in agreement. "We'll go with you to the village."

/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~/

Ludwig, Italy, and Kiku followed Yao's lead as he quickly and efficiently led them along the mountain trail. When they came across the Restoration Circle from earlier, they healed themselves and continued on their way. As they briskly walked pass rocky paths and stone walls, Italy found himself staring at the two newcomers, marveling how similar they were to their Earth counterparts. He laughed cheerfuly, lost in his thoughts. Kiku had noticed Italy's small bout of laughter, and paused with a question in his eyes.

"Feliciano? Is there something on my face?"

"What?" Italy asked dazedly.

"You were looking in my direction and laughing, so I was wondering what was wrong."

Italy instantly felt embarassed. "Oh, sorry, sorry, it's nothing! Don't worry about it!" Italy quickly replied. _I let my happiness show. It's just that I never thought that the three of us would get together._

By now, Ludwig had noticed the two stragglers and turned back. He raised an eyebrow, a bit impatient. "What are you two talking about?" He quickly looked toward Kiku apolegetically, "I'm sorry about that, Kiku. Just ignore him."

Kiku shook his head. "No, he's not bothering me at all."

"U-um, say, how old is Wang Yao now? It's completely different from his looks, isn't it?" Italy asked.

Kiku looked a bit surprised. "That's a very unexpected question. He won't talk about his age even if you ask him, so even I don't know exactly how old he is, but he is, without a doubt, over a hundred years old."

Italy felt pretty impressed. "Stopping time is awesome!"

Much to Italy's surprise, Kiku frowned deeply. "It's not a very convenient ability, though..." As though clearing his thoughts, he shook his head. "Actually, his time has started to move again now."

"What? Why? Has the Jewel lost its effect?"

Ludwig shook his head at Italy's words. "The power of the Jewel wouldn't disappear just like that..."

"This means that Wang Yao is no longer the User of the Jewel. The suspension of time by the Jewel has been undone and now the qualifications of the User of the Jewel have been passsed on to a different guardian."

Ludwig looked at Kiku, confusion breaking through his usual stoic demeaner. "Aren't the User of the Jewel and the chief supposed to be the very same person here?"

"No. While he is no longer the User of the Jewel, it doesn't change the fact that Wang Yao is the patriach of Saia, so don't worry about it."

"I see," Ludwig answered, looking thoughtful.

While the two of them had discussed the Jewel and Wang Yao, Italy looked on with mild confusion and curiosity. _I wonder what they mean by "User of the Jewel"? If it's supposed to be common knowledge, I'll have to ask Feliciano about it later!_

A loud yell came from up ahead the trail, startling the three traveler's. It was Wang Yao, the patriach sounding quite impatient and irked. "What are you guys doing?! Hurry up!"

Kiku winced, and turned to the other two. "Shall we go?"

"Yeah," Italy agreed. They quickly hurried down the path. They found the patriach waiting near one of the many side trails of the path, tapping his foot impatiently as they approached.

"What were you talking about?! When I looked behind, you were gone! I was really surprised!"

"I-I'm sorry," Italy stammered.

Yao let out a soft huff. "Be careful."

As they watched the patriach turn on his heel and head down another tunnel, the three men just looked at one another. With a shrug, they followed suit, timidly following their leader through the tunnel and out the mountain.

**Review please~! It makes the author happy^^**


	8. Chapter One: Feliciano 1-7

_**Hi! I'm back! Pretty shocking, considering that it's only been a week since the last chapter! And even more shockingly, I got the next chapter already typed up and ready to go! Just need to edit it, so yeah! I feel so accomplished... XD Though really, it's more like this chapter would've been ridulously long (a whopping 4,000ish, compared to my usual 2,000) so I split in half. I can promise you that it'll come out very soon! And I mean it this time!**_

_**A huge amount of thanks to everyone who followed, favorited, reviewed, or at least took the time to read this very unoriginal story of mine. You are all Prussia-awesome! Hugs for everyone! :D**_

_**Hetalia**** does not belong to me and belongs to Hidekazu Himaruya. Hetaquest also doesn't belong to me. You can watch the actual thing on SotetAG's channel. Hetalia~!**_

The small party of four managed to arrive at Saia in the late afternoon. Yao looked back at Ludwig and Italy. "We're going home. You guys can come over once you rest a little at the inn."

Ludwig nodded in acknowledgement. "Agreed."

"Yay! I'm exhausted~!" Italy cheered gratefully.

Kiku inclined his head. "We will see you later, then."

With curt farewells, the two Saians departed to head to the patriarch's house. As Italy watched them go up the stairs and vanish behind the elegantly carved doors, he turned and followed Ludwig into the inn. Ludwig paid the innkeeper for one night's stay, and led Italy into their room. He gestured offhandedly toward one of the empty beds.

"Going to the mountains and back is really tiring. You'd better get some rest."

"Okay!" And what are you going to do?" Italy asked.

"Well, I think I'll lie down for a bit. That should freshen me up."

"Then I'll stay up!"

Ludwig raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised. "How unusual of you, not sleeping around this time..."

Italy shrugged. "I just thought there won't be enough time to have a siesta."

"I see. Well, let me sleep, then. And don't go out of town while I'm sleeping."

"Yeah. I know."

Italy seated himself at the table and watched as Ludwig readied himself for a brief nap. Taking off his cloak and whip, he carefully hung them on a coat rack in the room. He laid his gloves on the table, slipped his boots off, and settled himself in bed. Closing his blue eyes, it wasn't long before Italy could hear the steady breathing of a person in deep sleep.

Slowly, Italy backed out of the room and entered the hallway. Looking for an empty room, he eventually found one at the very end of the corridor. Going inside and locking the door behind him, he let out a soft whisper.

_"Feliciano?" _

The ghost look-alike slowly began to appear. Soon he was standing before him, a soft smile on his face. Italy stretched, yawning loudly. "Ah, I'm so tired..."

_"I'm glad those two were alright," _Feliciano quietly replied, relieved.

"Yeah, same here."

_"But now you'll have to do your actual job!"_ Feliciano reminded Italy. Italy grimaced, dreading the idea.

"Oh, right..."

_"It's okay! It isn't anything too difficult!" _Feliciano reassured him. _"In this world, official meeting are supposed to have a mediator with the Memory Stone. First, right before Lud and Wang Yao start talking, you have to say, '_I, Feliciano Vargas, am the keeper of time.' _That's it! Simple, isn't it?"_

"That's it?!" Italy asked with surprise.

Feliciano winked. _"The Memory Stone will do all the rest!"_

"The Memory Stone is the stone on your pendant, isn't it?" Italy recalled, absently rubbing at the said jewelry hanging around his neck. He had almost forgotten about the necklace. "So it really has some kind of special power?"

_"The Memory Stone has two powers. One of them is the power to record its owner's memories. Anyone can use it, and the stone has been doing it all along."_ Feliciano explained.

"What, really? Even now?"

_"Of course, even now! From the moment you took this pendant, the Memory Stone has been recording your memories."_

"Wow, that's handy! What else can it do?"

_"It has the power to record your surroundings. That's the power you'll have to use now. It won't work if you don't recite the words I just taught you, so don't forget them."_

"What do you mean by 'record your surroundings'?" Italy asked curiously.

_"A stone this big has the power to record the events in a radius of about five meters as images. Normally, you'd only be able to see the memories in the stone in your own head. But this one has images, so they can be shown to other people, too! That's why there must always be a mediator present to record the meetings."_

"With that power, there won't be any fights about what was said and what wasn't later on!" Italy realized. _It's like a surveillance camera~!_

_"But the Memory Stones that can use that power are restricted."_ Feliciano said seriously.

"Even among the Memory Stones, there are different kinds, right?"

_"The kind that people normally use comes from either this continent or Avenir, which is northeast from here. The stone itself is easy to obtain, but the quality isn't very good and its owner can only use it to save memories. The stone that can record its user's surroundings can only be found in the mines where you can find the White Jewel, in Proshloye. There are still some of those mines left, but they're controlled by the Vyek Empire, so it's difficult for ordinary people to obtain this stone,"_ Feliciano answered patiently.

Italy then suddenly remembered that he had wanted to ask Feliciano about something earlier when he had been in the mountains. "Er, there was something I was wondering about when we had talked with Kiku in the mountains. There are the words 'owner' and 'user', right? Is there a difference?"

Feliciano grinned with approval._ "You're really sharp, Italy! Of course there's a difference, and it's really important! The 'owner' is literally the person who owns the stone. The 'user' is the person who performs the ritual and binds a contract with the stone. By the way, you need to have a contract with the five Jewels and utter an incantation, or else you can't use their powers."_

"How come you have a stone with a contract? From what I gathered, it looks like that stone is really rare..."

_"Remember when I told you I was born in Spina? Spina is in an island east of this continent. It's a borough that doesn't belong to any country at all. Our core business is trade, basically, but since Spina is neutral, we're often asked to act as mediators in conferences. My family has been in the trade business for a very long time, but we've also worked as mediators. _

_"A long time ago, one of my ancestors did a job in the Vyek Empire, and the king was so pleased that he gave him that Memory Stone. He also told him the incantation and about the contract with the stone. Thanks to that stone, my family was able to make a living with mediation alone, and that really helped us. Also, if I didn't have that stone, my world would be a lot smaller. Now I get to go to all sorts of places to work as a mediator, even to different continents."_

"It's also thanks to that stone that we met. It kind of feels like it was destiny!" Italy replied cheerfully. Suddenly, he went quiet. "... It just occurred to me. I'm not the stone's user, am I? Will the incantation even work?"

_"When a User dies, his User position automatically becomes open. That's why he has to perform a ritual of succession before he dies. After all, it'd be a problem if a stranger became the User. But while some people succeed in this ritual, there are also people who don't..."_

"What?"

_"It's when the stone rejects the contract. That is to say, it prevents you from using the stone. You're more likely to succeed if you're a blood relative. I inherited this stone from my grandpa."_

"Your father couldn't inherit it?" Italy asked.

Feliciano slowly shook his head. _"... No."_

"Can I... really succeed in this ritual...? What if I can't?" Italy panicked. "I mean, isn't it a little too late to tell them, 'Oh, actually, I'm not Feliciano'?"

_"Let's try, anyway! There's still a chance that you'll succeed!" _Feliciano quickly replied.

"Feliciano!"

Feliciano's face remained worried, but a more composed expression covered his face. _"You also need a ritual to bind the contract. The incantation goes like this: 'I, Feliciano Vargas, shall hereby run through a new age and explore, remember, bequeath, and record it."_

"That sounds simple, too."

_"If the contract succeeds, a mark will appear somewhere on your hand. It's unique, so you'll recognize it right away. If it fails... no, better not think about it! You _will_ succeed! Yeah!"_ Feliciano sounded like he was trying to convince himself, which weren't exactly boosting Italy's hopes. _"As for the name part, you can just say my name. The name used in the contract is the same name used in the activating spell."_

"I see. I have to activate it in front of Lud and the others, right? Well, I'll try." Italy took a quiet shuddering breath, closing his eyes. His breath quickened then steadied. His eyes reopened, a new light of light of determination burning in them. Clasping the pendant tightly in his hands, Italy slowly recited the words Feliciano taught him with reverence. "I, Feliciano Vargas, shall hereby run through a new age and explore, remember, bequeath, and record it."

A brilliant beam of shining of light filled the small inn's room, forcing both Italy and Feliciano to shield their eyes. The jewel shone with a dizzying brightness, a single shining star nestled in Italy's hands. The blinding whiteness dimmed to only a soft glow, before vanishing entirely. Feliciano blinked, hesitant.

_"Italy... your hand?"_

"... Is it by any chance, this?"

Italy held out his right hand palm faced downward for Feliciano to see. On the back of his hand, was an elaborate black marking, not unlike a tattoo. Clean straight lines made up the design, a circle, a backwards capitalized "N" , a strange version of a "6", the roman numeral of the number two, and a tiny "v" at the very top of the mark. Feliciano let out a silent whoop.

_"Thank God! It worked!"_

"It worked?! Veh, we did it!"

_"Really, thank God... I was afraid that it'd fail..."_

"Phew, I'm so relieved now," Italy sighed. "Oh, by the way! Now that we got that over with, tell me more about Spina! I want to know what your hometown is like!"

_"Okay! Spina is a place where the weather is always nice, and it's close to the sea..." _Feliciano eagerly began, his eyes glassy with unseen memories of his past life and home. With a small smile lingering on his lips, Italy merely listened, fascinated at the intricately woven words Feliciano spoke as he described the wonders of Spina.

_**Review please~! It gives motivation to this procrastinating author to update more!**_


	9. Chapter One: Feliciano 1-8

_**As I said in the last chapter, I split a huge chapter into 2 more manageable ones, and updated it RIDICULOUSLY early, in my standards! A huge amount of thanks to everyone who followed, favorited, reviewed, or at least took the time to read this very unoriginal story of mine. I freakin love you all! You are all Prussia-awesome! Hugs for everyone! :D**_

_**Hetalia**** does not belong to me and belongs to Hidekazu Himaruya. Hetaquest also doesn't belong to me. You can watch the actual thing on SotetAG's channel. Hetalia~!**_

"...ici...no."

_Italy was surrounded by calm empty blackness, a dreamy content feeling encasing him in its gentle embrace. With a daze,_ his_ conciousness stirred slightly at the sound. _What was that voice?_ He felt a bit irritated, since whoever was calling him was disturbing his siesta. So sleepy... so..._

_..._

_.._

_._

"Feliciano!"

Italy's eyes snapped open. As his blurred vision slowly came to focus, he was greeted by the sight of a very agitated Ludwig. Judging by the fact that Ludwig was fully dressed again and tapping his foot very impatiently against the floor, he had woken up and was just about ready to leave.

"Why are you lying on the floor in another room?" Ludwig asked drily.

"... What?"

Ludwig pressed a gloved hand to his forehead, before staring Italy down with exasperation flaring in his ice blue eyes.. "I thought you'd gone out on your own again."

"I'm sorry..." Italy shivered under Ludwig's stare. _Did I fall asleep while he was talking to me? Oops..._

"It's time. Let's go to Wang Yao's place."

"Understood, Captain!" Italy replied with a salute. He followed Ludwig out of the inn, trotting beside him as they walked past the doors to the patriarch's home. The patriarch stood in front of the desk housing the Jewel, skirted by the other four Saians. All five of them greeted Ludwig and Italy with a gracious bow as they entered the room. Italy carefully stepped aside so as to let Ludwig walk through.

"Are you well rested now?" Wang Yao asked.

"Yes," Ludwig replied curtly. "There should be no complications in the meeting."

"Veeeeh, I feel as good as new!" Italy added.

The patriarch smiled. "That's the most important thing." Carefully, he cleared his throat and spoke," Again, I am Wang Yao, the patriarch of the village of Saia. Ludwig, your efficiency has been noted here in Saia, as well." He then gestured to the four younger adults standing just behind him. "These four are all related to the Guardian. I want them to participate in this meeting. Is that alright with you?"

"Fine by me. Now, let's go straight to the point." Ludwig turned his head to Italy, eyes expectant. "Feliciano, start."

"O-okay!" Italy stammered. _Ugh, I'm so nervous..._ With the use of both of his hands, he gently clasped the twinkling white gem around his neck and closed his eyes. His voice was halting, but clear. "I-I, Feliciano Vargas, am the keeper of time."

A brilliant beam of pure light emitted from the Memory Stone, filling the room with a shining whiteness. The light dimmed just as suddenly as it had appeared, but the stone began to pulse with a shimmering soft glow. Italy carefully placed a hand on the jewel so as not to let the light distract anyone. "May the meeting between the Ara Empire and the Autonomous Region of Saia begin," Italy finished. He then began to mentally panic. _Am I supposed to say it like that...?_

Much to his relief, it appeared that his guess was true. Ludwig began to speak. "Well, then, I'll go first. the monsters - they were called 'chimeras', right?" Yao nodded, and Ludwig continued like nothing had happened. "First, I will inform you of their progress from the moment they appeared until now."

_"Great! You succeeded!" _Italy heard Feliciano murmur excitedly in his ear. Italy only smiled as a reply.

"The chimeras were first found a month ago, in the plains in the west of Ramneyg. They crossed the plains and the mountains and arrived at the outskirts of Ramneyg. At the present time, they are found as far as Lytia, but they should reach Saia as well. They have hindered food transport from Lytia and invaded villages and the castle town. They have also brought harm to the population. A few days ago, soldiers were sent to protect Lytia, but that still wasn't enough. Thus, His Majesty decided that we need the support of the entire continent to deal with this situation."

Italy listened with a quiet fascination. _I see... That's what this meeting is about._

"So, you want to annex the Autonomous Region of Saia, is that it?" Yao asked bluntly. Yong Soo, the farthest toward the right, jumped forward in indignation. "That's too sudden!"

Yao shot a look over to his inferior, silencing him. "Yong Soo, be quiet."

We want Ramneyg to have control over the distribution of goods, the people, and the military force inside the Ara Empire," Ludwig explained patiently. "Since Saia is also part of the Ara Empire, you will have to cooperate with us."

The patriarch closed his eyes. "Cooperate..."

"Since Saia is the westernmost part of the continent, the chimeras won't cause much damage. And then the mages of Saia can help protect the imperial capital, since it is short of soldiers..." Ludwig trailed off, faltering in his words for a moment. "Or so we thought, but..."

Yao raised an eyebrow. "Something else came up, didn't it?"

"Exactly... The chimera we encountered in the forest and the chimera we fought in the mountains both told us to give them the stone. Assuming they were referring to the Jewel, we can't possible take away the force of arms of Saia that protects the Red Jewel."

Italy spoke hesitantly. "Umm, listen, Lud..."

"Feliciano, the mediator is not supposed to randomly cut into discussion," Ludwig spoke with a touch of irritation.

"I-I'm sorry...!"

Yao smiled kindly toward Italy. "It's fine. You may speak."

Feeling uncomfortable under the stares that suddenly swiveled his way, he said," Er, no one but the User can use the power of the Jewel, right? So, why would the chimeras want the Jewel?"

Ludwig looked surprised at the question, but was willing to quench Italy's curiosity. "That's quite a straightforward question, coming from you. A Jewel that does not exhibit any powers is nothing but an ordinary stone. However, even if we know that, it doesn't make our situation any better."

"User..." Yao murmured to himself, and Ludwig turned his attention back to the patriarch.

"Wang Yao?"

"I'll send military force to Ramneyg," Yao finally spoke.

Ludwig was quite startled. "What made you change your mind?"

"Take Kiku with you. As my representative," Yao said, not answering the question.

"Mr. Wang Yao... what do you have in mind?" Kiku asked.

"For now, we will humbly be annexed. But on one condition."

"What is it?" Ludwig asked.

"There are some people I want you to protect. I want you to protect them in the imperial capital."

Ludwig furrowed his brow. "That's it?"

"Mr Wang?!" Xiao Mei exclaimed. "You don't mean..."

"If you agree to this condition, then Saia will accept to be annexed by Ara and join military forces. Apart from this condition, nothing will move Saia. I want Kiku to tell the emperor so directly."

Kiku interrupted. "Wang Yao, is the outcome of that prediction by any chance weighing on your mind?"

"Prediction?" Italy felt his curiosity stir once more.

As the gazes of all the other people in the room bore into him, Yao sighed and began to explain. "It's part of the patriarch's duties. At the beginning of every month, I predict the flow of the month."

Xiao Mei's eyes were dark and frightened. "The outcome of that prediction was something dreadful that has yet to take place."

"Oh? And what was that outcome?" Ludwig asked. Yao closed his eyes, speaking slowly and clearly, reciting from memory. "_The sowed seeds of chaos shall bud, and its children shall start throbbing. The crimson dragon's heads will be stolen one by one and lose their powers_."

"That's very bad luck!" Yong Soo explained fretfully.

"The sowed seeds of chaos... the crimson dragon... What does that mean?" Italy inquired.

Kiku answered. "The sowed seeds of chaos are probably the monsters. As for the crimson dragon, it must be the User of the Red Jewel. The image color of the red Jewel is also 'crimson', and the coat of arms of Saia has a 'dragon' as a motif."

Italy's eyes widened. "Then _who are they after?!_ We have to protect the User of the Red Jewel!"

"I don't believe that prediction!" Yong Soo said stubbornly. Xiao Mei nodded in agreement. "Indeed! I think even predictions can be wrong sometimes!"

"Why are you so adamant on denying it? Shouldn't you at least consider it as a possibility?" Ludwig argued.

Yao's eyes lowered to gaze at the floor, a deep sorrow swirling in them. "It's a matter of life or death to them."

"What do you mean?"

"You all, show your hands," Yao instructed, making a gesture. Slowly, they pulled back their long sleeves, revealing a distinct black mark on each of their hands. Tao's was three dashes at each end of his hand, Kiku's was an underlined backwards three, Mei's was a pair of short dark lines with a dash toward her left, and Yong Soo's was a pair of parallel lines - the one above shorter than the other - with a small dash intersecting them at the center on his palm. Unlike Italy's mark, their marks were more like the well-chosen strokes of an inked brush.

"So, the other Guardians that Kiku told us about were all of you," Ludwig realized. Italy stared with shock. _Is it possible for several people to have a contract at the same time?_

Feliciano whispered again in his ear. _"If you replace 'I' with 'we' in the contract incantation, then all the people touching the Jewel get a contract. Whether they'll succeed or not is a different matter, though."_

"They are the people I said I want you to protect," Yao spoke. "They became the successors over ten years ago. At first, I was going to choose only one out of the four, but they were against stopping time for only one of them. That's why I decided to make all of them Users, but I never thought that that would be their doom..."

"In other words... If they are targeted, you can't protect all four of them."

"If they're in the imperial capital rather than here, maybe they can all survive. I don't know if it'll actually happen or not, but I want to do something about it."

"Very well," Ludwig agreed. "I'll arrange an audience with His Majesty. Though I don't know what will come of that condition until we consult him in the imperial capital. Since this concerns human lives, I believe that His Majesty will give a positive response."

"If that is decided then, then we'll have to leave the village...?" Tao asked quietly.

"As it is my duty to be Wang Yao's representative, I will do whatever it takes to fulfill it. I don't want to die without at least trying to do something," Kiku said firmly.

Xiao Mei looked toward him. "Kiku..."

"If that is how you feel about it, that makes things easier. Tomorrow, you will come with us to Ramneyg," Ludwig decided. "Depending on the outcome, I'll fly a pigeon. In case your condition is accepted, I want the remaining three to depart immediately."

"Very well. Kiku, you will make all preparations immediately."

"Yes, sir."

"Feliciano, you can stop now," Ludwig said calmly to Italy, who in turned jumped with surprise. He stared blankly for a few moments."... What?"

_"Wait a minute! Feliciano! How do I stop this thing?! I forgot to ask you!"_ Italy whispered frantically. Feliciano gave his answer promptly.

_"Ah, sorry. I was distracted. The incantation to stop it is,' I, Feliciano Vargas, hereby stop this memory here!'"_

_"Thanks!" _Italy replied gratefully in a soft whisper. A barely distinguishable chuckle was his only response. He cleared his throat, a hastily recollecting his thoughts as he recounted Feliciano's words. "Er... I, Feliciano Vargas, hereby stop this memory here!"

The Memory Stone dangling around his neck flashed once more, but this time, the light completely faded from the stone. With a final wink, the soft white glow dimmed.

"Thank you. You did a good job, mediator," Ludwig acknowledged Italy. "Shall we go back to the inn now?"

"Yeah!" Italy agreed enthusiastically. With a curt nod in farewell to the patriarch and the four Users, Ludwig exited the room with a sweep of his emerald cloak. Italy tailed him closely. As Ludwig began to walk down the stairs, Italy froze just outside the entrance.

_Oh! I forgot to ask Mr. Wang Yao how to go to other worlds!_ Italy realized. He called down to his companion, who in turn paused in his descent.

"Lud! Lud!"

"What?"

"I think I left something back in Mr. Wang Yao's room! I'll go get it!"

Ludwig sighed and gave a roll of his eyes, giving a reluctant nod of consent. "Just don't bother him."

"Okay!" With a quick turn on his heel, Italy sprinted back into the patriarch's home.

_**Review please~! It gives motivation to this procrastinating author to update more!**_


	10. Chapter One: Feliciano 1-9

_**I'm seriously on a roll right now, probably because of the motivation I got from the awesome readers that favorited, followed, and reviewed this story! Anyway, thanks for everyone who took the time to look at this thing! I freaking love you all :D For all the new readers looking at this chaper, I sincerely hope I didn't disappoint you and wasted your time. If you have any questions, leave them in the reviews and I'll answer the best I can! **_

_**By the way, I completely forgot about this, so I better start saying this now: anyone who watched Hetaquest before and know what happens after any future chapters I put up, please do not put any spoilers in the comments. It makes a story more enjoyable that way. I say thanks in advance for cooperating^^**_

_**Hetalia**** does not belong to me and belongs to Hidekazu Himaruya. Hetaquest also doesn't belong to me. You can watch the actual thing on SotetAG's channel. Hetalia~!**_

Italy quickly passed through the doors leading to the room holding the Red Jewel. The patriarch was seated behind the desk, staring deep into the crimson gem with a fierce intensity. He looked up at Italy's entrance, a startled look quickly replaced by a more formal one upon his face.

"Oh, Feliciano? Is something the matter?"

"Um... There's something I want to ask you," Italy said hesitantly, hovering awkwardly in front of the desk. A small smile flitted to Wang Yao's lips.

"When we go old, knowledge is the one thing we have more than enough, so you can ask me everything."

"I'll go straight to the point then," Italy replied, relieved at the patriarch's willingness. "How can one go to an alternate world? I heard that people used to come and go a long time ago..."

Yao stared at Italy with narrowed eyes. Finally, he spoke. "Why do you want to know that?" he asked suspiciously.

"What?!"

"If you can't tell me your intentions, I can't tell you," Yao replied coolly. Feliciano abruptly appeared next toItaly, looking quite worried at the patriarch's words. _"Feliciano, what are we going to do?"_ Italy whispered.

_"Tell him the truth?" _Feliciano replied weakly. They halted their conversation as the patriarch continued.

"... There's something I've been meaning to ask you..." Yao spoke softly, eyes closed and his hands clasped together in front of his face as if deep in thought. Italy tilted his head curiously in response.

"Yes?"

Yao opened his eyes, slowly looking up to meet his gaze. Much to Italy and Feliciano's shock and horror, he turned his head to stare directly into the direction where Feliciano's ghostly form hovered. "Feliciano, who's that with you?"

"You can see Felician-" Italy instantly bit back his words, but was too late to undo the damage he had done. He made a nervous chuckle. "Oops..."

_"Italy!" _Feliciano cried out.

Yao gave a knowing, triumphant smile. "Aha... So your _aren't_ Feliciano, after all."

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to deceive you- Okay, actually,_ I did_, but I'm sorry!" Feliciano tearfully added._ "If you can see me, I'm sorry, too! It's not Italy's fault!"_

"Calm down," Yao deadpanned. "I don't care who's the mediator, as long as he can use the Memory Stone properly."

"Thank you," Italy stammered, hugely relieved that the patriarch wasn't angry with the two. Yao waved off the Italian's gratitude.

"Be careful, though. If you don't hide yourself, there will be other people who can see beings like you," he warned, mostly directed toward Feliciano. He nodded, absorbing the advice.

_"... I'll be careful."_

Yao nodded in approval and continued speaking. "As the patriarch of Saia, this doesn't concern me, but as Wang Yao, personally, I wonder about you two. Tell me the details," he instructed. With a moment's hesitance Italy began to recount the past events.

"I came from another world, you see... I want to go back to my world, but I don't know how..."

Yao nodded slowly, as if Italy's words were only confirming his suspicions. "I expected as much as soon as I saw you."

_He believes me!_ Italy thought, shocked.

"So, why are you working as a mediator?"

_"I-I asked him too!"_ This time Feliciano replied. When Yao raised his eyebrow, he surged on._ "I died in the middle of my mission, so I asked Italy, who can see me, to take my place."_

"Feliciano, why did you die? The fact that your spirit remains here is quite something."

_"I was killed by a monster brought by a woman named Natalya, in a forest near Lytia. We think I'm still in this world because I'm attached to the pendant that Italy's holding."_

Yao sighed, peering over the duo with pity gleaming in his dark eyes. "What a misfortune..."

"Um, Mr. Wang Yao, why did you believe me when I said I came from another world?" Italy asked curiously. The patriarch looked from one person to the other, and sighed.

"Because you are too similar," Wang Yao replied. When he saw the confused the two gave him, he explained further. "There are two ways to go to a parallel world. One of them is to use the 'Tempest Tome'."

"Tempest Tome?"

"It's a magic book with the five Gems incrusted on the cover. In the past, many people used it to go to a parallel world."

"Where can I find it?!" Italy demanded, slamming his palms onto the desk's surface in his eagerness. Yao shook his head. "Unfortunately, not a single one is left now."

Italy's eyes widened. "Oh no!"

Yao's eyes turned blank, recalling information of the now-long forgotten tome. His voice was dark and bitter, a pain shining in them. "There was a terrible side effect to using the Tempest Tome."

"Side effect...?" Italy asked slowly, dread filling the pit of his stomach. The dread turned into a disgusted horror at the patriarch's next words. "The Tempest Tome takes people's lives."

"It is believed that we all have a counterpart in another world, 'another self' who is identical to us," Yao said matter-of-factly. "Identical not only in appearance, but also in personality, manner of speaking, likings, absolutely every single thing. But those people... those 'identical people' can't coexist with us in the same world. So, when one went to the other world, their 'other self' who originally lived in that world would die."

Italy took in a single, shuddering breath as he began to put the pieces together. His eyes dilated. "Then, Feliciano is-"

"He's the 'other you' living in the parallel world. That's why you were able to inherit Feliciano's stone."

_"Italy and I are one and the same...?"_

"From what you told me, we can surmise that even if Italy hadn't come to this world, it wouldn't have changed your fate and you still what have died. Your death wasn't Italy's fault. Do you understand?"

Feliciano nodded. _"Yes..."_

"Italy, you must have come to this world by using the Tempest Tome. The other method is impossible in your world. Do you have any idea what happened?" Yao pressed.

"Um..." Italy closed his eyes, fiercely trying to recall the events that had happened the day before._ A tome is a book, right...?_ A memory flashed through his mind. He snapped his eyes open. "That book! So it wasn't 'The Atmosphere" that I have to read, after all!"

"The what now...? Yao shook his head, deciding not to ask the Italian specific details. "Well, in any case, at least it seems that you do have an idea."

"The person who gave it to me was dressed in white and wore a hood, and I couldn't see her face very well... And she had huge boobs, lol!" Italy said cheerfully.

"I wonder if she knew about Feliciano's death beforehand? She could have something to do with the woman who killed Feliciano... We lack enough information."

"By the way, Mr. Wang Yao, what's the other method? It's the only way I can go back to my world, isn't it?" Italy asked.

"Theoretically, yes, but this one is more difficult."

"Aww!' Italy whined, disappointed. Wang Yao continued where he had been interrupted like nothing had happened. "You have to bring all of the five Jewels to an altar on the top of the Eternal Tower, in the Vyek Empire."

Italy felt his heart soar. "And... going after the Jewels and gathering them in that tower is-"

"Impossible," the patriarch deadpanned. Italy's hopes were dashed to the ground.

"VEEHHH! What am I going to do?! I'll never be able to go home?!"

"If the monsters were gone and stopped going after the Jewels, maybe you could do it," Yao mused thoughtfully, effectively stopping Italy's tears. "There are two things you must do now. One, find out who was that woman who gave you that book. Two, go after that Natalya woman who killed Feliciano. Natalya might have something to do with other monsters, so be careful when you investigate her."

"Thank you for the advice!" Italy replied gratefully.

Yao gave a soft sigh, a light mist glazing over his eyes as he stared into a long-forgotten past. "'Tempest Tome' and 'Eternal Tower' are such nostalgic words..."

"Did something happen a long time ago?"

"A long, _loong_ time ago. Feliciano, do you know where the Hero came from or what happened in the end of the story?" Yao asked, his question directed toward Feliciano. Italy looked on, confused.

_"Didn't he come from Spina and in the end went back to his homeland and lived in peace?"_

"That's how it usually goes." Now both Italy and Feliciano were confused. Once he spotted the duo's bewilderment, Yao gave a knowing grin. "Would you be surprised if I told you that the Hero was also summoned from another world by the Tempest Tome and used the Jewels in the Eternal Tower to go back to his world?"

Feliciano gasped. "Wh-What do you mean?"

"The Hero Lucius wasn't actually Lucius. The true Hero was a man summoned from another world who switched places the person who was actually called Lucius. IN the end, that man went back to his own world without telling us his true name... That was two thousand years ago."

_Two thousand years ago... Grandpa was still alive back then. Could it be that the Hero was- Wait._ Italy was jolted from that thought when another startling thought settled into his mind. "Mr. Wang Yao, you've been alive for two thousand years?!" Italy was utterly flabbergasted at the patriarch's true age. _He's lived even longer than us Nations!_

The patriarch gave a single curt nod. "The power of the Jewel is a dreadful thing... Even though all of my companions have died, I alone am still the same as I was back then."

_"And you're one of the Hero's five companions..."_

"When I look at you, I'm reminded of those times when they were still around," Yao said with a smile. He then turned his head to Italy. "By the way, Italy, how much do you know about this world?"

"I've learned the names of the continents and the nations," Italy replied honestly.

"I see..." Yao furrowed his brows together, obviously deep in thought. Eventually, he addressed Feliciano and Italy once more. "... I'll tell only you two about the prediction of what will happen to the Ara Empire."

"Wait, why me?" Italy asked, bewildered. "If this is about the empire, shouldn't you tell Lud?"

"I'll tell you because you don't know much about this world. This is a delicate subject to Ludwig. You can't tell him anything, you here me?" Yao spoke, eyes narrowed with a heavy expectation. "Feliciano will understand, but his words won't reach Ludwig."

After a moment's hesitation, Italy agreed. "Alright, I won't tell Ludwig."

"Remember it well, you here me? For when the time comes..." Yao closed his eyes once more, again reciting the mystery prediction from the deep depths of his ancient mind. "_The black eagle's single wing shall fall in the north-eastern lands. The angered black eagle shall rip apart the blue lily and sully the throne with its blood_."

The ominous prophecy left a heavy impression on the room as its last words left Yao's mouth. While Italy tilted his head in befuddlement, Feliciano gasped a soft cry of horror. _"It- It can't be... Could that turn into a war...?"_

"I don't know. We can assume though..." While the patriarch and Feliciano exchanged anxious looks, Italy interrupted awkwardly.

"Um... I have no idea what you're talking about..."

"That's alright. It's still too soon," Yao replied. He then smiled. "You should go back to the inn now. If you take too long, Ludwig will get worried."

"... Yes. Thank you for telling me all these things," Italy said. Feliciano nodded with agreement. Yao then stood up and bowed deeply.

"I'll also reflect about the Jewel so as to help you go back to your world. Well then, zaijian*. I trust you will take good care of Kiku from tomorrow on."

"We will!" Italy promised eagerly. After they said their farewells, Feliciano vanished from Italy's side, and Italy left with a smaller sense of confusion and a better idea on what he would have to do in order to go back home. When Italy stepped outside, the sky changed from its original soft cloudless blue to shades of crimson, rose and gold. The sun was setting upon another day in this world.

"Ugh! It's already getting dark! I have to get back to the inn quickly!" Italy sprinted down to the staircase and made a beeline for the building with the 'Inn' sign hanging above his doors. He seriously hoped that Ludwig wouldn't yell out him for coming back so late...

/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~###########~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~/

Kiku stood in front of patriarch Yao's desk, his expression blank and stoic as it usually was. Hidden by his long sleeves, he discreetly twisted his hands together and made different gestures as he waited patiently for his superior to notice him. He abruptly stilled as Yao looked up from his desk.

"What's the matter, Kiku? Have you already finished the preparations?"

"There was more to the prediction, wasn't there?" Kiku asked boldly. Yao made a dry smile.

"So you _were_ listening in? I think I taught you that eavesdropping is bad."

"I had just been passing by and it caught my attention. I also ended up hearing that Feliciano is an imposter. And also about you." Kiku added the last phrase as a hesitant afterthought. A teasing grin erupted on Yao's face.

"You're really impossible."

A faint smile twisted Kiku's lips. "Well, I _am_ your son."

"You've become quite cheeky..."

A wistful look fell over Kiku's face. A sad smile longing for times long gone in the past. "Can't I call you Father like I used too?"

Yao tilted his head, sticking his nose up in the air with an attempt at an all-knowing expression. "No. If you started calling me Father now, I'd feel awfully old."

"But aren't you already old?" Kiku asked innocently.

Yao pouted childishly. "Shut up!"

"Still, two thousand years? Why did you decide to stop being a User? You could have gone that way forever."

At Kiku's words, Yao gave a small melancholic smile on his face. "I have lived way longer than any ordinary human. I used to be the only Guardian, but now, I have you. It's only natural that I should pass this on to you."

"After so many years, why us four?" Kiku persisted. "Didn't you have any children before us?"

Yao closed his eyes, before slowly opening them again. "When I'd just become a Guardian, I was content to stay like this to guard the future of the cities and nations left by my companions. But after 500, 1000 years, watching people's lives over and over, I started wishing to become 'human' again. To love someone, to be surrounded by children of my own... In the last few decades, I was able to have a 'human' life." A deep lingering anguish darkened Yao's eyes as his face saddened. "I didn't expect her to die so early... But I was able to do what I wanted with my lifespan. And I didn't age much, probably because time stopped for me, but I think that was very fortunate."

"Certainly, it's been over a decade since we've became your heirs, and yet you haven't aged much."

Yao smiled. "If possible, I want to die with this youthful appearance."

"Yong Soo and the others will be so sad..."

A soft silence fell over them, leaving them to their memories, thoughts, and hopeful dream. Kiku finally spoke.

"... Is it possible to change one's fate?"

Yao's brows became furrowed. "The gears have started moving. Ever since Italy came to this world... I believe in him."

"Indeed," Kiku agreed.

"Kiku, wait in Ramneyg," Yao instructed. "Tao and the others will soon catch up with you."

His son smiled in acknowledgement. "I look forward to it. Well, now, I'll go back to my room. Good night."

"Good night."

/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~****************~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~/

_The woman entered the room. Brightly lit with sterilized white lamps, she could easily see its contents. Several pipes erupted from the walls and smoothly entered the floors, pumping whatever was needed to places unneccessary to describe. Six hospital tables were neatly arranged in the room in pairs, a sink between them. One of them was coated with a splatter of what looked like fresh blood, and a sink was brimming with a pink-hued liquid. A small bookcase with a desk next to it sat in the far corner, filled with medical books and covered with notes about extensive research and elaborate diagrams. Six clear glass cases were lined up in two columns, a few filled with some test subjects. Another three were lined up against the back wall, glowing with a shinying blue light, the cool glow harshly outlining the subjects' forms. A richly robed figure stood in front of them, back faced toward the woman._

_The woman crossed the room, standing just behind the figure. She muttered quietly under her breath. "This room is so creepy..."_

_The figure turned. Where a person was supposed to see his face was a plain white mask with two slits for eyes and none for a mouth. An elaborate jeweled decoration studded its forehead. From the slicked back brown hair and masculine built, one could tell that the stranger was male. He spoke with a rich yet monotone voice, politely addressing the lady._

_"Oh, Lady Natalya. I really appreciate what you did about the phoenix the other day."_

_"A phoenix for the mediator, and then the dragon... Will this really be useful to my brother?" Natalya asked doubtfully._

_"Of course. The chimera phoenixes must be causing great damage to Saia right now. If we take this chance to send a large flock of chimeras, the Red Jewel will be ours. I will leave you to command the chimeras on that occasion. We will obtain all the Jewels and make Lord Ivan's wish come true at any cost. And then , Lord Ivan will surely turn to you, my lady."_

_The woman nodded in agreement. "Indeed. I will do anything for my brother."_

_"Before the attack on Saia, you have to come draw the usual magic circle. Have you already learnt how to do it?" he asked._

_"I think of a technique like this quite often. Even the head wizard of Elgnand says he hasn't achieved it yet."_

_"Elgnand was tamed by the Age Empire; they could never achieve this technique," the masked man said. He paused, then continued. "Well, now, I am counting on you for what's coming next."_

_"That goes without saying," Natalya replied, an icy smile on her face. She turned and left the man to his devices as she exited the room. He glanced up at the center glass case, betraying nothing from what little could be seen of his face. He turned away, preparing for the attack against the unexpecting Saians that was soon to come._

_***Goodbye in Mandarin Chinese, apparently.**_

_**Review please~! It gives motivation to this procrastinating author to update more, along with helping her growing more as a writer.**_


	11. Chapter One: Feliciano 2-0

_**Hello, I'm back! Sorry for not updating sooner, I was going to earlier, but I was swamped with exams, tests, and all that crap that comes at the end of the school year. I figured that might as well wait until I'm not busy. I have good news now, though. Since school's out for vacation now, I CAN ACTUALLY UPDATE MORE OFTEN AND POSSIBLY AT A MORE SCHEDULED PACE! Yay! XD Though, that means I'm heading for high school next year... Yep, I'm that young...**_

_**Anyway, thanks for everyone who took the time to look at this thing! I freaking love you all :D For all the new readers looking at this chaper, I sincerely hope I didn't disappoint you and wasted your time. If you have any questions, leave them in the reviews and I'll answer the best I can! **_

_**By the way, I completely forgot about this, so I better start saying this now: anyone who watched Hetaquest before and know what happens after any future chapters I put up, please do not put any spoilers in the comments. It makes a story more enjoyable that way. I say thanks in advance for cooperating^^**_

_**Hetalia**** does not belong to me and belongs to Hidekazu Himaruya. Hetaquest also doesn't belong to me. You can watch the actual thing on SotetAG's channel. Hetalia~!**_

The next morning was quite pleasant. The sky was a beautiful sky blue with only a few feathery wisps of cloude floating lazily by, with the sun shining warmly far above over the land. Birds chirped cheerfully in the many trees in Saia. The breakfast at the inn was rather delicious, and Ludwig appeared to be in a pretty good mood.

"Let's go to the entrance of the village. Kiku must be waiting for us."

"Okay!" Italy agreed wholeheartedly.

Sure enough, once they were out of the door, they spotted Kiku standing a little ways away from the entrance to Saia. He was dressed in his usual attire, with an extra accessory in the form of a small bag lying at the ground at his feet. He looked around a few times like he was looking for someone. He seemed to brighten once he spotted the two travelers. When they drew closer, he had his usual stoic expression, though a small smile was tugging at his lips.

"I've been waiting for you."

Italy looked around for the sight of Kiku's family, but was fruitless in his efforts. "Wait, is no one coming to see you off?"

Kiku laughed softly. "They said, 'We'll soon see each other again, so there's no need for us to see you off.'"

"If they came to see you off, they would only be more reluctant to part. That was a wise decision," Ludwig remarked in approval.

Kiku grabbed that bag at his feet and slung it over his shoulder and nodded toward the gate. "Well, let's go to Ramneyg, then. I look forward to working with you."

"Same here!" Italy agreed. Ludwig pulled out a worn map from a small leather pouch at his belt. He unrolled it, examining it carefully. With one finger, he traced a possible route to return to Ramneyg. "We'll just go back through the way we came... Then we can cross the bridge east of Lytia, go through Ryuhang, and cross the plains," Ludwig said decisively.

"Okay, so we first have to go to that bridge!" Italy stabbed a finger toward the inked sketch that was meant to symbolize the said bridge. Ludwig gave a small grin.

"Exactly."

/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*************~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~/

Ludwig guided his fellow travelers expertly through the terrain, stopping when breaks were necessary, backtracking when the route was blocked, helping either Kiku or Italy when they needed a hand. It was mainly Italy who needed the help however. When they entered the dark forest once again, Italy clung to Kiku's arm like it was his last connection to life. Blushing fiercely, Kiku tried to pry the Italian's arms off, but his efforts were in vain. Fortunately, they managed to go through without much incident, the occasional monsters here and there that were quickly taken care of. It didn't take long to reach the bridge; it was only a little after midmorning when they stood in front of the massive stone structure.

A fully-armored guarded stood erect at attention, staring rigidly forward. When Ludwig tried to pass him, the soldier held out an arm. "I'm sorry, but the bridge is broken at the moment. You can't cross over to the other side."

Italy gave a small whine of disappointment, but Ludwig quickly hushed him before inquiring, "What happened?"

"Someone broke it two days ago. We are currently investigating it, but we have found no clues so far..."

"When are you going to fix the bridge?" Italy asked.

The guard shook his head helplessly as he answered, "We have already started repairing it, but it will take quite some time."

"I see..." Italy deflated. Ludwig then cut in. "Can't we take a detour?"

The soldier grimaced. "It's not that you can't go through the marsh, but... in order to get there, you will need permission from the chief officer at the Marsh Control Station."

"Alright. We'll try that," Ludwig said decisively. He turned his attention back to his two companions. "Feliciano, Kiku, you were listening, weren't you? We're going to get that permission to go through the marsh. The control station is south of here."

After a soft sound of compliance from Kiku and a cheerful nod from Italy, they gave their thanks to the guard and left the stone bridge. They followed their past tracks a little bit before abruptly heading southward. Luckily, no monsters were roaming the area at the moment, so they made their way in front of the marsh station in only a little after ten minutes.

The impressive stone fortress was tall and forbidding. Soldiers on sentry duty lined the tops of the sturdy walls, standing rigidly at attention, utterly emotionless. They didn't flinch as Ludwig shoved the huge twin oaken doors open and strode inside. Kiku and Italy followed meekly behind as their leader walked briskly down a long hallway and climbed a set of stairs. In several of the rooms where the doors were left ajar, Italy could make out sparring soldiers as they trained and sought to keep themselves in shape in case of any emergency.

Soon they came across a wooden door more elegantly made than any of the others they had passed on their way there. Ludwig turned his attention to Italy, eyes narrowed.

"Feliciano, you wait here. I'll go talk to the chief officer."

Italy puffed out his cheeks in indignation, his amber eyes large and glowing with childish wants and innocence. "Aww! I want to go with you!"

"It would be too noisy with you there. You stay." Ludwig said firmly but patiently.

"Ludwig, what should I do?" Kiku spoke up. Ludwig ran a hand through his hair as he sighed apologetically.

"Sorry, but could you please watch him? He makes strange noises sometimes, but don't worry about it."

Kiku made a placid smile in agreement. "Alright."

"Lud, you meanie!" Italy cried out indignantly. Ludwig ignored him, favoring to turn the brass doorknob open and let himself in. A startled voice welcomed the blond in, and the door closed firmly behind him. Soon the only sounds could be heard were the faint clashes of metal from the soldiers training downstairs and the muffled voices of the chief officer and Ludwig discussing, their conversation deep and thought-provoking.

"Stupid Lud!" Italy muttered, kicking at the ground with his foot. Kiku awkwardly patted him on the shoulder sympathetically. "Well, we are outsiders. It can't be helped."

"I wonder if it's easy to get that permission," Italy wondered quietly. The Saian next to him smile encouragingly. "I am sure Ludwig can do it."

"Yeah, you're right~" Italy instantly cheered up, his mood no longer down. They sat quietly, patiently waiting for Lud to finish discussions with the chief officer. Quickly, Italy felt himself grow bored.

"Veh, veh..."

Kiku recoiled abruptly from Italy, surprise written all over his face. He stared dumbly in shock. Italy, utterly oblivious to Kiku's discomfort, asked casually, "By the way, Kiku, you're a Stone User, too, aren't you?" Italy then grinned. "I feel like we have an affinity~"

As the Italian had conversed with him, Kiku had still been in a daze. He pulled himself together hurriedly. "What...? Oh, right, you are the User of the Memory Stone, aren't you?"

"By the way, how old are you? It's been over ten years since you got the Red Jewel, right?"

Kiku went quiet, a look of thoughtfulness washing over his face. He spoke. "Would you be shocked if I told you I am over thirty years old?"

_"Whaaat?!"_ Feliciano cried out with extreme bafflement in Italy's ear. Italy shook his head, smiling pleasantly. "Nope, that's cool."

_"How come you're not surprised at all?..."_ Italy promptly answered in his usual friendly manner. _"Compared to Japan, he's still pretty young!"_

A soft curiosity filled Feliciano's voice. _"Who's Juh-Pan?"_

_"A friend of mine!"_ Italy spoke easily.

"I wondered about something when I saw your hand," Italy said, this time to Kiku. "My mark looks completely different from yours."

The two friends held out their marked hands, comparing the two bold designs. Kiku explained patiently. "Gems of each color have a different mark. Besides, mine was a single mark that split up into four marks, so it looks even more different."

Taking out a small scrap of paper along with a brush and an ink set from his back, he got onto his knees and opened the ink set. The clean black ink was wet and still not dried. taking the slender brush from its place, he dipped into the black fluid and expertly drew out something on the paper. After setting the brush back and snapping the set closed, Kiku returned the case back into the bag and blew on the paper lightly. He then handed the scrap for Italy's examination.

The scrap of paper was of a marking, similar yet not to Kiku's own imprinted upon his hand. The elegant three, a curved line under it with a dash and intersecting what looked like a capitalised "i" with a longer line at the bottom. It looked like the complete combination of the markings of the four Users of the Red Jewel.

"The mark was originally like this, meaning 'crimson'. I never want to see that mark complete on the back of my hand, though."

"Huh, why not?" Italy asked curiously.

Kiku's eyes went cold, a dark seriousness draped over his usually calm yet bright dark-brown orbs. "Because if the mark ever becomes complete, it means that my siblings are all dead."

Italy flinched on the inside. He said apologetically, "... Sorry, I shouldn't have pried."

Kiku smiled, not offended. "No, don't worry about it. We are all ready for it deep down."

The brass doorknob clicked as it began to turn, startling the two. Once the door swung open, Ludwig appeared, his face still turned away as he said his goodbyes to the chief officer. He gave a small smile as he shut the door behind him. Clutched in his right hand was a heavy sheet of cream-colored parchment, gilded with copper and gold with some metallic printed words, a loopy black signature, and an impressive-looking red stamp in a small box in the corner. He carefully tucked it away in his pouch.

"I've got the permit. Now we can go through the marsh. The entrance to the marsh is at the exit downstairs. We can also get some supplies downstairs before we go."

When they made their way downstairs, they replenished their supplies of medicines and potions and herbs, along with buying a barbed whip of higher quality for Ludwig's use along with a pointed black hat that the peddler insisted had "defensive spells woven into the fabric". Kiku was fine with wearing the accessory. They also purchased several Ingredients for Italy's use.

Once they stepped outside, a pair of tough-looking soldiers peered suspiciously at them, grunting out a question to look at their permit. Undaunted, Ludwig briskly held it out for confirmation. After examining it closely, the soldier at the left nodded.

"I see you have the permit. You may go on ahead."

"Be careful. The footing can be treacherous," the other warned. They stepped aside, allowing the three travelers passage. With a nod acknowledging their advice and giving them thanks, Ludwig walked through the gate with Kiku and Italy trailing behind.

/...~~~~~~~~~~~.../

The air in the marshlands was humid, dank, and warm. The damp ground underneath their feet was soaked through with liquid, allowing the soles of their shoes to slightly sink in at ever step. Tall silver-green grass and foreboding evergreen trees thrived in this wet area, completely filling their visions with lush vegetation. The cloudy waters surrounded the area was an oily green-black, with green algae and lily pads floating serenely on top. Sounds of chirps and croaks from the many unknown creatures living in the swamp surrounded them.

Italy paused, looking around himself with surprise. "Wow, it's huge!" he exclaimed. Kiku nodded, explaining, "This is the world's largest marsh."

Italy then widened his eyes, now scrutinizing the area around him with a wary look. "Er, won't we get lost, if it's so big?" Italy asked meekly.

"That won't be a problem," Ludwig answered matter-of-factly. "There's a road used by the guards and sentinels." Ludwig then paused. "Still..."

"It is unsettling, isn't it?" Kiku asked.

Italy tilted his head. "You think?"

I thought the marsh would be safe, guarded by the East and West Control Stations, but it does look dangerous."

"Veh! More monsters?!" Italy yelped, latching onto Ludwig's arm. The older man instantly shook him off.

"Let's brace ourselves," Kiku advised. Ludwig nodded, stroding deeper into the damp territory with purpose. Kiku followed while Italy stayed back, not wanting to meet more monsters, but not wanting to be left behind. Italy whined in disappointment. "Aww, man..."

Still, Italy dutifully followed his companions.

The moist soil under his feet was soft and springy, his shoes sinking slightly at each step. The tall grass around them was damp with droplets of dew, so when one brushed their hand against the vegetation, it would come away dripping with water. Not noticing the large rock in front of him, Italy took a step forward, caught the toe of his shoe against the hard surface, and fell. He yelped loudly as he hit the ground.

"Aaahh! Lud, _save_ _me!"_

Ludwig whipped around with a hand at his whip, his wary eyes showing exactly how much he was on edge. He relaxed once he saw the sprawled over Italy, shaking his head as he knelt down to help him up.

"_Mein gott_, Feliciano, you need to watch where you step."

Italy gratefully took ahold of the firm gloved hand that was outstretched to him, using it to pull himself back to his feet. Meanwhile, Kiku merely smiled serenely, looking rather amused at this situation. The smile faded however and he tilted his head slightly, listening to something that could not be heard by normal hearing. Kiku then whipped out a free arm from his sleeves, the outstretched hand taking on a soft light as an intricate magic circle quickly began to take shape.

"Get back!" he ordered. Ludwig instantly went on guard, shielding Italy with an arm.

They waited, nerves on edge. For a minute, no one moved. Another minute passed and nothing occurred out of the ordinary, not a single odd rustle. Italy tentatively looked over Ludwig's shoulder.

"Veh...? I don't see anything attacking us-"

Italy's last words became transformed into a high-pitched yelp as three crimson shapes darted out from the swampy underbrush. They looked like oversized lobsters, with black and gold swirls decorating their red shells. At a moment's notice, Kiku blasted the chimera's with a powerful gust of shimmering green wind which in turn knocked them off their feet. When the dust cleared however, the beasts appeared to be relatively unharmed. They retaliated by charging and knocking the Saian off his feet.

Ludwig swore explosively under his breath, lashing at them with his thorn-barbed whip. So far that was the most effective approach, but not by much. Italy quickly sprinted over to Kiku's side and knelt. He was rather battered and bruised, with several cuts and gashes on his arms. Italy bit his lip, but when he attempted to feed his friend with Pasta, Kiku only shoved him away.

"There is no need, Feliciano. I can just heal myself." With pained yet quick precision, Kiku placed a hand over his chest and another magic circle appeared, A few words of incantation, and his wounds vanished. Kiku refused Italy's help, insisting on getting up on his own.

Meanwhile, Ludwig's strength was failing by the looks of it. Although the tall blonde had managed to get rid of two of the lobster-like creatures, he was suffering from several injuries. The fact that the third one was still kicking wasn't really helping either. A rather powerful charge through him back, slamming him into a concerned Italy with a grunt from Ludwig and a shriek of surprise from Italy. The two fell to the floor with a loud thud. Italy groaned pitifully while Ludwig shifted on top of him.

"You're... h-heavy, Lud..."

"S-sorry."

Ludwig stood up, but leaned heavily against Italy. The Italian hastily handed him another potion bottle full of brightly colored liquid from their bags.

Kiku paused for a moment, clearly thinking for a few seconds. He appeared to have come to a conclusion, but looked rather regretful. Shrugging his bag off of his shoulder- Italy wondered for a moment exactly how the thing didn't fall off earlier when Kiku had his fall- and pulled out a small package of what appeared to be seafood wrapped in netting. He held it in his hands, staring at the package in intense concentration. A soft dark gray glow encased the seafood. When it vanished, a small chunk of lightly salted raw fish sat neatly in his hands.

Italy stared at Kiku with an open gape. Yep, Japan and Kiku were _exactly alike. _"Kiku, what are you doing with that?! Don't tell me you're going to eat it!"

Kiku ignored him as he drew his arm back and hurled the salmon in a smooth upper hand motion. It hit the chimera in the face and the beast was stupid enough to open up its mouth to taste the sudden projectile. Italy couldn't read Chimeras' facial expressions, but it was obvious to anyone that the thing didn't like the unanticipated treat. It recoiled and began to writhe, disgusting choking sounds coming somewhere from its body. It shuddered and went still, disintegrating in the wind.

While Kiku looked on with an expression of both satisfaction and regret, Ludwig and Italy merely stared blankly at the spot where the chimera had existed only seconds earlier.

"That... actually worked?" Ludwig said finally.

Kiku nodded. "Of course. Salted Salmon has the ability to cause damage to a single enemy, at the cost of some seafood, of course. Though..." at this Kiku's eyebrows furrowed and his face was overcome by a look of longing. "... Salted Salmon is one of my favorite dishes. It's such a pity that it had to be wasted like that."

While Ludwig and Italy struggled to comprehend exactly what had just happened, another rustling sound along with soft hisses startled them back into reality. The three travelers stiffened.

Multiple pairs of eyes gleamed in the dewy underbrush before revealing themselves. Snakes, carnivorous flowers, the same lobster-chimeras as before- they were completely surrounded by bloodthirsty monsters. They slowly stepped away from the hungry eyes until they were back-to-back with each other, weighing the odds.

"There are so many of them," Italy whispered fearfully."

Ludwig glared at the intruding beasts, fists tightly clamped around his lash of iron thorns. "There shouldn't be so many of these _things_ around here...! Why didn't the marsh control station warn us!"

"Maybe they never realized so many chimeras dwelled in these parts," Kiku replied.

"Whatever the reason," Ludwig said grimly. "We have to get out of here, and fast. Either that, or we're chimera food."

_**Review please~! It gives motivation to this procrastinating author to update more, along with helping her growing more as a writer.**_


	12. Chapter One: Feliciano 2-1

_**Hi, I'm back with another chapter for Hetaquest! I'm sorry for dropping off the face of the earth for like two weeks or something. Apparently I'm not as free as I intially hoped, since I'm studying and whatnot. *sigh* Gomen, everyone, gomen.**_

_**Anyways, for all the new readers looking at this chaper, I sincerely hope I didn't disappoint you and wasted your time. If you have any questions, leave them in the reviews and I'll answer the best I can! **__**Anyone who watched Hetaquest before and know what happens after any future chapters I put up, please do not put any spoilers in the comments. It makes this story more enjoyable that way. I say thanks in advance for cooperating^^**_

_**Hetalia**** does not belong to me and belongs to Hidekazu Himaruya. Hetaquest also doesn't belong to me, but to the amazing Japanese creator who made it. You can watch the actual thing on SotetAG's channel. Hetalia~!**_

Time passed by each slow second, and the air seemed to ripple with the underlying tension. Ludwig had his thorn whip tightly wrapped around his hands as he held the chimeras' bloodthirsty stares with his own cold blue gaze, and Kiku held an elegant yet stiff martial arts stance, eyes darting back and forth searching for an escape route. Italy had tucked himself as tightly as possible into the little corner made by his friends' backs, his grip shaky yet firm as he held his large flag. It was silent, still, and unbearably controlled as each side waited for the other to make their first move.

It was a snake that struck first. The monstrous silver serpent reared back its ugly silver head with a vicious hiss before darting forward. A quick and precise flick of a thorn embedded whip sent it slithering back hastily, coiling up in a defensive position. It peered at them with glittering hate-filled black eyes.

The three were not able to savor that small victory as the other chimeras took that miniature battle as the order to strike.

A snake-like tendril from a pink flowered carnivorous plant wrapped itself around Kiku's ankle, yanking forward. The Saian took a step forward by accident, accidentally breaking the defensive stance he had earlier. The bloodthirsty blossom wasted no time in taking advantage of this, clamping another snarling tentacle upon his forearm and one around his mouth in a gagging effort. It worked, as the young man struggled fiercely as he made muffled sounds, yet unable to murmur any magical spells.

"Kiku!" Italy cried out in terror. A loud yell and a thump followed by a low hiss of pain came from behind him. He turned around quickly. Ludwig was surrounded by several gleaming serpent chimeras, lashing at them angrily with his whip. A small noise came from his right and he had turned to deal with another lobster-like chimera charging toward him He was completely taken off guard as a sly serpent slammed a thick and heavy end of its scaly tail into his back, causing him to fly forward. Ludwig rolled on the floor before getting to his feet. He looked sore and bruised and he quickly vanished from view as the crowd of chimeras mobbed him once more.

"Lud!' Italy wailed. A pale blue light and a sluggish sound hit his senses, and he snapped his head back. A pair of slow electric-blue anenome-slug chimeras lurched toward his general direction, their bright blue petal-like flaps glowing with an eerie light. He backed away cautiously, for once taking in the situation at hand as he mulled over his _very few_ options.

Option Number One: scream for help. That was his usual plan to fall upon, but since as of the moment his allies were busy, so he'd have to scratch that.

Option Number Two: run away. Another one of his regulars, but he realized that it would be cowardly (not like he wasn't, but still) and would be very stupid considering that he would be wandering around alone in unfamiliar territory. Yep, bad idea. Italy reluctantly discarded this option as well, knowing for once fully well that he was running out of ways to get out unscathed.

Anyway, that left Option Number Three: fight. But then again, Italy isn't exactly well known for military finesse, so...

_Why couldn't people make peace with pasta?_ he thought longingly. As he thought about exactly what would happen if he didn't get out of his situation soon, Italy felt himself get a sudden urge to take out a white flag and cry. Hey, wait a second, might as well give that a try-!

"Veh! I surrender! Please don't kill me! I have relatives in Bro- er, Par- wherever the heck this place is!" Italy wailed, waving around his convenient white flag to further emphasize exactly how genuine he was about it. He ducked his head, both of arms wrapped around the flagpole as if clinging for life. To his dismay however it appeared that the chimeras were both unimpressed and rather irritated, snapping their bright petal-tentacles impatiently. As they drew closer, he screwed his eyes shut tightly, mentally kissing the world and all of its beauty goodbye.

_Bye, cruel world! If only I could have eaten one last plate of pasta again!_ He braced himself, clinging pitifully to his last defense.

Moments passed, and nothing happened. After a few seconds, he looked up.

The two chimeras were towering above him threateningly, yet they didn't move. It appeared that they were straining to kill him with their limbs waving with a sparking blue-white glow in the air, but some unknown force was restraining and crippling their ability. Italy stared up at them with bafflement, tears still pricking at his eyes. He stared, unblinking.

Suddenly one of the blue creatures broke through that unyielding force. With surprisingly quick and sudden reflexes, Italy found his hands pulling back to twirl the flagpole effortlessly between them before crashing the end of it against the hostile beast. It went down with a sickening thud, writhing its tentacles in anger and pain. Before it could lash out at him, Italy swung his flag in a wide sweeping arc so that it somehow was swept up by the smooth pole and thrown upward. When it came back to solid ground once more, it disintegrated on impact.

Italy looked down at his hands, oblivious to everything around him. How did he just do that?

"Feliciano! Snap out of it!" A loud and familiar yell came from the right. He turned his head.

Ludwig had somehow managed to beat off the chimeras that were above him so that his head and a single arm was visible under the mulling mass. For a few seconds he vanished with a loud and angry curse before re-emerging once more with a flick of his wrist and a good score of chimeras flying back with sounds of pain. The beasts quickly reasserted themselves and counterattacked with renewed ferocity. Carefully guarding his most vulnerable areas of defense, Ludwig continued to slash forward and backward while yelling powerfully to his much more timid friend.

"Feliciano, get out of here! Kiku and I can handle ourselves; just take care of yourself and go!"

At his words, a powerful blast of green tinged wind exploded from within the cocoon of monsters that Kiku was encased by and throwing them back. The dark-haired Saian was breathing heavily, with a single hand outstretched where the wind must have come from. He apparently had heard Ludwig's words, because he nodded determinedly with agreement.

"Just go, Feliciano. We'll be right behind you."

Italy looked from his two rather haggard friends back to the current threat around him. Most of the chimeras that had been at the very outermost edge of the battles occurring between his companions and the monsters had been only harassing them, waiting for a chance to replace a fallen beast until it too met the same fate. Unfortunately for Italy, his earlier fight with the blue anemone thing had caught their attention and now he was being cornered. However, they were all concentrated in front of him, leaving a large escape route for him if he just turned around and ran.

Ludwig caught the brunette's drifting gaze and nodded. "Just go! We'll cover for you!"

Italy turned his head back toward the chimeras, with their glinting eyes, threatening tendrils, and unfathomable hunger for spilt blood. He shivered. It was probably best to do what Ludwig says, especially since his words basically sums up what Italy's instincts had been screaming for him to do. As he backed away however, he saw the gazes of his friends' eyes.

The cold icy blue and the determined dark brown- they didn't have a fire inside them that said that they'll live up to what Ludwig said. It was more like they were bracing themselves for a losing battle. _They were only trying to buy time_, Italy realised. _They don't act like they're going to come back like they said!_

Italy steeled himself, swallowing his fear as he gripped his trademark white flag tightly in his hands. Whenever he was in trouble, he ran. Whenever his life came even close to being harmed, he begged for mercy. All his life he was meek and cowardly. He had even ditched his friends a few times before when he got into a bad spot, or spilled secrets that they had entrusted him to leave unsaid.

This time he was not going to run, no matter how scary the monsters are, or how close he might get to being scratched up. He had promised Germany so long ago that he'd help him if he was in a pinch! It's time that he stayed true to his word, even if Ludwig was the parallel counterpart-clone-whatever person and not the friend that was left back in his world. He and Kiku are still his friends!

"I-I'm going to stay and h-help, Lud! I c-can't just leave y-you guys behind!" Italy stammered. Ludwig knocked down another wave of chimeras, looking rather irritated and angry that Italy had just completely ignored his orders.

"You idiot! Just run!"

"Feliciano, hurry and flee! Ludwig and I will be fine!" Kiku pleaded as he dodged another lunge by a serpent chimera. When he landed on his feet he slid back several yards, making deep gouges in the dirt. His outstretched hand managed to stop his momentum, but just barely. Swinging his hand forward to meet against his other forearm, he made a sign. Forcing his hands upward, a whirlwind was formed and thrust toward his opponents. Several of them were knocked back, but the rest were unaffected.

Italy screwed his eyes up tightly, shaking his head slowly yet deliberately. "No, you won't! I can't let you guys get yourselves hurt just because I'm too cowardly to stand up for myself! You're my friends, and friends help each other!"

Trembling heavily, he shakily held a hand out and tried to search through his memories. How did he make that nice tomato box fairy come and help him again? His anxiety increased steadily as the chimeras continued to stare at him. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea that he decided to stay.

It suddenly came to him. Didn't it appear when he said help and stuff?

"Help me, tomato box fairy!" he called out. To his relief his guess was correct and the same red and green light came into shape in his outstretched palm. The little glowing sphere circled him once with a bright laugh. He pointed at the large crowd of chimeras then toward Ludwig and Kiku's adversaries.

"Tomato box Fairy, please attack the chimeras! he pleaded.

A clear chirp of agreement and a shrill whoop came as his reply, and the fairy orb zoomed toward the waiting beasts. Apparently the chimeras had recognized that this was the bigger threat and set Italy aside. Deftly dodging any attacks attempted on it, the light blasted brilliant energy that either disintegrated or at least badly wounded anything that stood in its way.

One snake chimera lunged at the fairy, swallowing it whole. For a few seconds it was staring smugly at Italy, but as it opened its mouth to probably eat him next a light shone from its mouth, destroying the vermin from the inside. Flying away to deal with the others, Italy could only watch with amazement.

By the time the fairy light had finished its rampage, the opponents had been cut down to at least half of what they started out with. With a flickering of light that could pass off as a wink and an affectionate nudge (can fairy lights even nudge people?) it vanished back into his palm. The moment that the last traces of the tomato box fairy had disappeared, he felt completely wiped out. Italy slumped onto the grassy floor, his breath coming in heavy pants.

"Veh... I've never... felt so tired... Not even when Germany... made me... do double laps before lunch," Italy murmured to himself. Propping himself onto a sitting position, he watched as his friends dealt with the rest of the monsters.

"Three Colors of Passion!" Ludwig barked out. Pulling his arm back, the blond made an elaborate gesture with the arm that gripped his whip of thorns. He slashed downward viciously and the whip flashed three times. Three gashes of light- coal black, scarlet red, and rich gold- hovered over the attacked chimera, each fading away with a light blast. The vermin disintegrated.

Kiku made three backflips in the air as he avoided a near hit, landing lightly on his feet. Reaching a hand open and drawing out several small bags of seafood, he backed away with narrowed eyes. A soft gray glow shone through before he was rapid-firing balls of Salted Salmon toward his adversaries. The Saian winced each time a ball left his hands.

By now a clear path through the carnage was made, although still vastly outnumbered. Cursing under his breath, Ludwig beat off another lobster-like chimera clinging to the edge of his coat as he sprinted away. As he passed Italy he grabbed the smaller man by the collar and shouted toward Kiku.

"There's too many of them! I hate to say this, but we have to retreat!"

_"Hai!"_ the Saian answered back. Pelting one last chimera with Salted Salmon, Kiku joined his retreating companions, his mouth full of fish. Once they had made a good amount of distance between them and the other monsters, they stopped to take a break. Once he had managed to catch his breath, Ludwig clapped his hands on Italy's shoulders and shook him angrily. Italy could literally see angry Ludwig-heads spinning around in his vision. Yes, that was exactly how hard Ludwig was shaking him.

"Why didn't you run when I told you to?!" Ludwig demanded. Italy cowered underneath Ludwig's accusing gaze, shriveling up like a dead flower as he felt the full blast of Ludwig's wrath.

"I'm sorry, don't kill me!"

"If you had run like I told you too, I wouldn't have to!" he snapped. With a long-suffering sigh Ludwig stepped back, hands on the sides of his face to rub at his temples. He closed his eyes, paused as if he was counting to ten, before opening them again.

"I-I'm rather surprised that I had an opportunity to say this... but t-thanks for saving us b-back there, Feliciano."

Kiku nodded in agreement, bowing in gratitude. "_Hai._ Thank you, Feliciano."

As Italy slowly absorbed their thanks, he grinned brightly. Slinging his arms over their shoulders (though Ludwig was a little difficult, considering that he was at least seven centimeters taller than him) he laughed.

"Veh, of course! That's what friends are for!"

Kiku flushed a pale pink while Ludwig made a sigh and a small half-smile, already used to this. Breaking the touching moment, Ludwig gently slipped Italy's arm off his shoulder and looked around. His crystal blue eyes carefully scrutinized the premises.

"... It looks like we managed to shake them off, but we should still be careful. There's probably more chimeras prowling around here."

He furrowed his brows thoughtfully. "I can't help but wonder... why were those chimeras here in the first place? They haven't reached this far, yet."

Kiku nodded. "How strange. We should probably report it to the Marsh Control Station once we reach it."

"I agree, Kiku. Until then, I suppose we'll just have to get through in one piece, _ja?"_

Italy shivered, rubbing his hands against his arms, though not for warmth. "I really want to go home..."

Ludwig looked at him. "We'll be back at Ramneyg soon, Feliciano. Just be patient."

"Alright..."

/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~/

It appeared that the large ambush earlier had contained most of the chimeras, because the rest of the fights afterward were chimeras either in pairs of groups of three so they were manageable. Along the way, Italy had found a log.

"Do you think we can use this?" Italy asked curiously. He had circled the large piece of wood, which was the height of the average man and twice as wide. Ludwig merely looked at it before looking away.

"I won't carry it," he said flatly.

"What?!" Italy yelped in protest.

In the end Kiku and Italy took up the log and eventually Ludwig had also eventually caved in and helped ease the load. Once they moved the log to near the thinnest patch of swamp water, Italy pointed at it in excitement.

"Lud! If we put that log we found here, we can get across!"

Ludwig raised an eyebrow and shrugged, carefully making sure the log didn't slip from the top of his shoulder. "So it was useful, after all."

"Well done!" Kiku congratulated the elated Italy. Once they set it down, with careful precision they made it to the other side. There they found another shining white Restoration Circle, which quickly rejuvenated their energy. The shimmering white light swirled upward in a beautiful glimmering twister, showering them with light that seemed to absorb into their bodies and literally lift their spirits.

"I swear, do these things conveniently pop up when we need them?" Ludwig asked to no one in particular. Kiku was the one who answered with a small shrug of his shoulders.

"Best not to dwell on questions like those? Just count your blessings and move on."

Now they were close to the end of the marsh. Each quickened their steps, extremely relieved to be finally able to leave the chimera-infested swamp.

"We're almost to the eastern exit of the marsh," Ludwig spoke.

Italy sighed. "There are monsters everywhere we go. I'm tired..."

"We'll be doing a mopping up operation before long."

They hurried toward the exit, but as they arrived they found something rather odd.

"... What is that thing over there?" Kiku asked hesitantly.

"Veh?"

They paused in their steps save for Ludwig, who instead strode forward to investigate. A pale blue circle harboring a glowing pentacle stood not a few yards, humming with pulsing energy. The air around it shimmered like heat waves were passing through.

"... A magic circle?" Ludwig whispered.

The circle suddenly lit up. Brilliant orbs of shining light and white glowing ribbons spun through the air. The clear sound of the magic existing within activating alerted them and the magic faded away. Standing on top of the magic circle was another chimera. It was different from the standard beasts, however.

It was at least twenty feet tall and lizard-like. Thick heavy skin was studded with gleaming green scales and immensely large wings with sea green webbing outstretched toward the clouded sky menacingly. Strong and powerful tiger legs reinforced with dagger-like claws scratched at the boggy earth. A barbed tail flicked back and forth menacingly. The dragon chimera lifted its serpentine and its eyes glittered like cold black diamonds. Stretching its neck upward, it let out a shrieking battle cry.

"What the hell..?!" Ludwig recoiled, quickly backing away. It turned its head to look upon the startled group and bared its fangs into a deadly smile.

_Lunch._

_**I have a habit of ending off with a cliffhanger, don't I? Review please~! It gives motivation to this procrastinating author to update more, along with helping her growing more as a writer.**_


	13. Chapter One: Feliciano 2-2

_**Hello, I'm back again! This chapter is slightly shorter than usual, but then again, my chapter lengths are always wacky!**_

_**For all the new readers looking at this chapter, I sincerely hope I didn't disappoint you and wasted your time. If you have any questions, leave them in the reviews and I'll answer the best I can! **__**Anyone who watched Hetaquest before and know what happens after any future chapters I put up, please do not put any spoilers in the comments. It makes this story more enjoyable that way. I say thanks in advance for cooperating^^**_

_**Hetalia**** does not belong to me and belongs to Hidekazu Himaruya. Hetaquest also doesn't belong to me, but to the amazing Japanese creator who made it. You can watch the actual thing on SotetAG's channel. Hetalia~!**_

The beast stared at them coolly with what looked almost like a self-satisfied smirk on its snout. Blinking its beady black eyes at the three travelers, it began to slowly stalk toward them. Teeth were bared into a grin. Italy and the others on the other hand took no time to hastily retreat backwards in an attempt to avoid the chimera.

"Did it teleport?!" Kiku asked to no one in particular, backing up quickly with a hand already held steadily in front of him to start any incantations at a moment's noticed. Italy latched himself to Ludwig, sobbing quietly to himself before wailing loudly.

"It's coming after us!"

Ludwig shoved the smaller man away with irritation. "Stop screaming, Feliciano! Just get ready!" he ordered.

Making a sound that sounded like a cross between a growl and a crooning purr, the chimera tucked its wings in and bent its knees. A second passed, a stalemate between humans and beast. With an ear-splitting roar, the monster charged.

Kiku began to mutter under his breath, Ludwig unwound his whip from his belt, and Italy cried out with a fitful, "Please don't hurt me!"

"That is not going to solve our problems, Feliciano!" Ludwig snapped.

But much to the three's surprise the chimera stumbled and slowed a few paces, its once bloodthirsty expression changed for one of incredulous bafflement. It stared at Italy blankly, ever so slightly tilting its head sideways. If it weren't for the fact of the situation and that the creature was a towering dragon-beast out for blood, one would have called it cute.

Quickly taking advantage of this, Ludwig stepped forward. Pulling his arm back, he swung forward in a swift overhand motion.

"Three colours of passion!" Once again, flashes of black, red, and gold light overtook the chimera, forcing it back a few steps with a loud hiss. It lashed out at Italy, who miraculously managed to evade the slashing attack. Although Ludwig took some damage when the chimera turned his attention toward him, he just clenched his teeth and knocked it back with another flick of his gloved wrist.

The space between Kiku's hands glowed bright green. Pushing forward with his outstretched palms, his conjured wind spiraled toward the chimera, lifting it off the ground and throwing it several yards back. It shrieked with pain and anger, eyes burning with hatred. Now it was officially ticked off. The thing's mouth opened, revealing yellowed razor-sharp teeth, and the back of its throat began to smoke. A funnel of bright red and gold flame blasted forward, incinerating all vegetation around them and catching Italy in the arm as well. Ash filled the air, fluttering about like soft gray snowflakes. He cried out as he fell to the ground.

"Feliciano!"

Italy bit his lip. The flames had caught him in the arm, burning through cloth and damaging the soft skin underneath with its agonizing touch. His arm and shoulder was covered in angry-looking red welts and when he gingerly brushed the burn with his fingers, the pain reached higher degrees. Ludwig ran toward him, inspecting the burn wound with a concerned eye. Pulling the pack from his shoulder and rustling through the contents inside, he pulled out a thin bottle filled with a translucent gold fluid. Unplugging the cork from its top, he placed it upon Italy's slightly open mouth and tilted the end up. In the background, they could hear the chimera's agonized screams as Kiku force-fed the beast his Salted Salmon.

The potion tasted cold and spicy at the same time in Italy's mouth as he swallowed. He felt the burns become numb with cold, followed by a soothing sensation.

"That potion healed your burns. Get some rest and stay out of the fight. Kiku and I will deal with the chimera-"

Italy cut him off firmly, surprising both Ludwig and himself. "No! I'm fine! I can still fight!"

Ludwig shook his head sternly. "Listen and obey me, Feliciano! You may have saved the day earlier, but you were lucky enough to not get hurt. Even just now you were lucky enough to get some minor burns. I can't let you get killed in this fight!"

"So you want me to rest while the two of you get killed out there? I can't do that! Friends stick together, especially when they're in a pinch! I hate it when I watch you guys get hurt protecting me because I'm too weak to fend for myself! I'm not going to watch my friends die because of me! I won't!"

Italy cried softly, tears rolling down his cheek. Ludwig looked at his sobbing companion in front of him, then to his other friend that was still fending off the chimera. Kiku looked tired and completely drained of both physical and magical energy. In several places his clothes were scorched and Ludwig could see the start of a burn wound at the top of his shoulder while the Saian's back was still turned toward them. He let out a long-suffering sigh. This was no time to argue with his friend.

"Fine then. Are you sure you want to continue? If you feel tired during the fight, I want you sit it out, understood?" Ludwig replied reluctantly.

Italy nodded determinedly. "I want to!"

"Alright, let's go and save Kiku now," Ludwig ordered. He pulled Italy to his feet, his right hand already wrapped around the whip that he had laid on the ground while treating his burned friend. Italy ran forward, pulling his arms back to swing the butt of the flagpole in his hands toward the chimera. Once the sturdy wood hit green-scaled hide with a satisfying thud Italy darted back, missing the blast of infernal flames by inches.

"Feliciano, go and heal Kiku! I'll deal with this vermin!" Ludwig shouted. Not waiting for an answer, the blonde slipped toward the left of the beast. Pivoting on his left foot he struck with a spinning kick, sending the beast reeling. A slashing paw was thwarted by the shield on his back and punished by another flick of the whip.

Italy hurried over to Kiku. The Saian got kicked in the gut earlier, the momentum flinging him at least twenty yards away from the chimera. Pulling a Pasta and a Seasoning from the pack that he now carried, he concentrated before shoving the healing food into his friend's mouth. The dark-haired man swallowed gratefully. A moment passed before some color returned to Kiku's face.

"... Ow..." Kiku struggled to open his eyes, blinking the dark orbs blearily. He pressed a hand to the small of his back, straightening up with a groan. "I think I'm too old for this..." Kiku muttered. Italy grinned. The mage opened his mouth in thanks, but let out a small gasp instead.

"Watch out!"

Italy turned, just in time to see Ludwig dive out-of-the-way of another fiery blast. He felt Kiku tackle him to the ground. He let out a soft _oof!_ when he hit the marshy floor. Another tinkling of magic was heard, heralding the blast of magical wind negating the flames and sending them spiraling off course.

"Thanks, Kiku! You saved me right then!"

Kiku made no reply, scrambling up to his feet in order to join Ludwig. The broad-shouldered man had backed up before throwing another powerful punch to the chimera's jaw, throwing it off-balance. It roared, but was quickly silenced by another spinning kick. As the creature struggled to stand up, Kiku took the initiative to dart underneath to its underbelly. A flash of green light, and the chimera was blasted upward to hit the ground with an awful thud several yards away.

"Nice work, Kiku," Ludwig acknowledged approvingly. They had to cut the small talk short when the creature blasted them with spinning blades of wind. Each blast was painful to endure, and the sheer momentum forced them onto their knees. When the bombardment ended, they struggled to their feet.

Kiku groaned. "T...that's a new one."

"So this... is what it's like to get hit... by Kiku's wind... Remind me never to get him angry," Ludwig grunted.

Italy sat up and thrust a few potions into their hands. "It's getting ready to fire again!"

Chugging the fluid contents down, Ludwig and Kiku scooted toward the snarling chimera. They looked at each other, then at Italy.

"Feliciano, it looks like the chimera is at its end! Kiku and I will attack at the same time, and right afterward, I want you to deal the finishing blow! Got that?" Ludwig shouted.

Italy nodded, holding up a thumbs-up in agreement. "Okay!"

Ludwig held the whip tightly in his hands, drawing his hand back. At the same time, Kiku was forming another glowing green circle in his hands. They assaulted the beast precisely at the same moment. The wounded chimera reared up in pain, turning its head to snap at one of the two. Italy could see a good stretch of unprotected neck come into view.

"Now, Feliciano!" Kiku urged.

Swallowing all his fear, Italy sprinted forward with his almost supernatural speed. Swinging his flagpole so that the end could practically touch the back of his knees, his leapt into the air. With a loud shout, he slammed downwards. A loud crunch, and the creature slumped to the ground, dead. Italy flailed his arms wildly as he also spiraled towards the ground. Reflexes kicking in, Ludwig caught him before he landed splat on the floor. He was then set back onto his feet.

"We did it!" Italy cheered.

Ludwig waited for the beast to disintegrate before picking up the treasure that always came with defeating a chimera. He stared at the glittering gold in his hands, brows furrowed. "I never thought we'd even find dragons."

Kiku stepped toward the magic circle that transported the dragon chimera to the marsh. It still glittered brightly, humming with soft light and energy. He cautiously circled it, scrutinizing it at every angle. "... This is a teleportation magic circle. There is no doubt about it." He frowned, obviously troubled. "I had no idea there were still people who could make it..."

The other too joined Kiku at the magic circle, examining it closely. Italy stared at its centered, looking rather freaked out.

"You mean it can send monsters from somewhere far away to this place?"

Kiku looked at him. "Yes."

"I think it's safe to assume that the people at the control stations were not aware of it," Ludwig concluded.

Italy crouched down, reaching a hand out to let it hover over the shimmering surface. "If we get into it, won't we go to the same place where they came from?"

Kiku shook his head slowly. "I seems that it only works one way. They were very careful when they made it." The Saian looked at the magic circle for a long moment before continuing. "As a mage, I am reluctant to do this, but I am going to destroy this."

Ludwig and Italy backed away. Closing his eyes, the dark-haired mage held out both of his hands, palm down. His already gentle voice became hushed in incomprehensible murmurs, and a gleaming magic circle formed above the one already on the ground. As it closed in, it detracted in size until it was right above the circle. Arrows of light followed by a shining flare of blinding whiteness streamed forth. They shielded their eyes.

Once the light dimmed, they looked at where the magic circle was. It was still there, but it didn't glow with blue-white light. It was black, dead, cold.

"Now the magic circle is dead. No more monsters will come out of it," Kiku spoke.

Ludwig spoke his thanks, tilting his head apologetically towards the smaller man. "Sorry for dragging you into this."

Kiku merely smiled, holding his hands out in an appeasing manner. "Please, do not worry. No one else would have been able to come and deal with it in time."

"Now the marsh will be okay!" Italy chirped gleefully.

"If all the chimeras left are killed, yes," Ludwig replied. The taller man then looked toward the exit. "I think we should leave now. The less time we spend in here, the better, I say."

The other two travelers murmured their agreement, and so they finally left the marsh for good. When they stepped away from boggy soil and onto sturdy stone, they were alerted by a guard hurrying towards them. Ludwig paused, dipping his head in greeting at the armed guard. Kiku and Italy followed his example.

"The chief officer of the West Control Station has already contacted us. This way, please!"

"What...? What?!"

"May I speak to the chief officer of the East Control Station?" Ludwig requested. The guard bowed deeply towards him.

"Yes, sir. Would you like me to show you the way?" he offered.

"Yes, please. There is something we need to tell him."

Italy then tugged gently at Ludwig's shoulder. "Um, Lud? Aren't we going to take a break...?"

Ludwig shook his head. "Warning them about the chimeras comes first."

"Veh... No way..." Italy whined. His body ached all over from fighting with the chimeras! He needed a long siesta, and now!

Kiku awkwardly placed a hand on Italy's shoulder in encouragement. "Hang in there, Feliciano!"

/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~/

"... and that's what happened," Ludwig finished. They were standing in a small stone-walled room with red-carpeting. A few small book cases stood in the corner, as well as an oaken desk on the other side of the wall. A small table with two chairs was also in the room, but it was not nearly enough space for everyone there. The chief officer stood next to one of the chairs, looking thoughtful and troubled at the same time.

"To think that chimeras got into the marsh... Even if they did get there through a magic circle, it means our surveillance has failed."

"Has anyone aside from soldiers come into the marsh lately?" Ludwig inquired.

The chief officer once again looked thoughtful. "Now that you mention it, there was a scholar who came from Ramneyg to research the marsh's ecosystem."

"Oh? And what was their name?" Ludwig replied.

"If I remember correctly, her name was Natalya. It's even in the records."

Both Kiku and Italy gave a start of surprise. Italy pulled at Ludwig's arm urgently. "Lud! It was definitely her!"

Kiku stared at Italy thoughtfully, while Ludwig looked incredulously at the auburn-haired man. "What's got into you, Feliciano? In any case, I do realize that this Natalya person must have something to do with that magic circle."

Italy nodded. "That's right~"

Ludwig turned back toward the chief officer. "I will inform my country about the chimeras. You should also warn the West Control Station."

The chief officer gave a curt nod of acknowledgement. "Understood. Be careful on your way to Ramneyg."

"We will."

"Have a safe journey."

Sharing a quick round of goodbyes, they departed. As they left the East Control Station walls, Ludwig called over his shoulders to his companions without glancing back. "We will stop to rest at a town north-east of here called Ryuhang. Until then, you'll have to bear with it."

Italy began to cry once again, his voice tired and weary. "Veh! Why can't we just stay at the control station, you sadist?!"

"Because the control station isn't a rest area?" Ludwig replied bluntly, rolling his eyes.

Italy whined unhappily as Kiku began to bombard him with encouragement. "We are almost there, Feliciano!"

Right then, Italy _really _wanted to go back home.

_**And that is where we end! Review please~! It gives motivation to this procrastinating author to update more, along with helping her growing more as a writer.**_


	14. Chapter One: Feliciano 2-3

_**Hi! Yay, I have a new chapter! I have several chapters ready, actually. Just need to edit them all and stuff. But I'm too lazy to do them all **_

_**Is it just me, or is it really funny the fact that in RPG games you can go in any house and they don't even care? Like when you go in, take something from a closet or bookcase, talk to the maid or master of the house or whatever, and just leave. It's so "unrealistic", it kind of cracked me up while typing this chapter. And most of the past chapters too, now that I think about it. And also the unlimited inventory. Seriously dudes, what do you have, Hermoine's beaded bag/clutch thing or something?! Yep. So unrealistic yet hilarious XD**_

_**For all the new readers looking at this chapter, I sincerely hope I didn't disappoint you and wasted your time. If you have any questions, leave them in the reviews and I'll answer the best I can! **__**Anyone who watched Hetaquest before and know what happens after any future chapters I put up, please do not put any spoilers in the comments. It makes this story more enjoyable that way. I say thanks in advance for cooperating^^**_

_**Hetalia**** does not belong to me and belongs to Hidekazu Himaruya. Hetaquest also doesn't belong to me, but to the amazing Japanese creator who made it. You can watch the actual thing on SotetAG's channel. Hetalia~!**_

Ryuhang was a quaint little village with large yet simply designed brick houses and olive tile roofs. The grass was fine and green, the trees tall evergreens, with a few small flowering shrubs here and there. Although not many people wandered the village pathways, they all looked warm and friendly. A few nodded toward the traveling party in acknowledgement.

"We're finally here! Lud, can we rest now?" Italy begged.

Ludwig made a small half-smile, shaking his head at Italy's antics. "Of course."

Italy cheered, collapsing on the floor spread-eagled. Ludwig rolled his eyes, quickly barking at the Italian to get back up. Kiku had a contented look on his face, but was quickly replaced with one of mild surprise. "Oh? There are some people gathered over there. I wonder why?"

Sure enough, there was a small crowd of people gathered around an open stone ground a little ways ahead. They were chattering excessively, turning heads at each other and pointing at whatever had gotten their attention so. Feeling rather interested, Ludwig and Italy followed Kiku's lead up to the front. In front of them was a rather strange scene.

A little boy about ten years old stood in front of them. Blonde-haired and a little small for his age, he was dressed in a high-collared dark-blue tunic with slightly puffed long sleeves and a dark gray sleeveless vest hemmed with yellow over the attire. A dark blue sash with a small sheathed dagger was wounded firmly around his waist, and he wore a hooded sky-blue capelet that draped just above his torso over it. His knee-length shorts were cream, and his long white socks trimmed with blue were tucked into dark brown boots with a tan-colored cuff. His fair locks were hidden by a cap that matched his capelet, with a bright green jeweled brooch pinned to the left of it.

The child was glaring angrily at a trio of men much taller and older than him. One had a dark-blue Mohawk, another with scruffy reddish-brown hair and beard, and the last with another blonde Mohawk standing straight up for all to see. Behind them was a fidgety white horse with a teal mane. A red and gold saddle was upon his back, and upon its forehead was… a golden horn?

"But he's already apologized!" the boy protested. The bearded man strutted forward, a sneer on his rugged face.

"I don't care! Your horse started it!"

The unicorn reared its head, whinnying loudly.

"That's because you guys were meddling with Uni!" the boy retorted angrily.

The same man smirked coolly, rolling his eyes. He folded his arms over his chest, sneering smugly. "Anyway, I can't just give it back to you. I heard that unicorns sell really well."

The other two men grinned foolishly. Meanwhile, the boy let out an outraged gasp of horror. "You want to sell Uni?! He won't let you! You can't have Uni!"

"What do you think you can do about it, you fucking brat?" The crook grinned, his uneven teeth bared into a wolfish grin. At this, the other two spiky-haired men closed in on the horse. The unicorn reared, looking rather agitated. It slowly backed away, ears flat and nostrils flared.

Feliciano put a worried hand on Ludwig's shoulder, who had been watching the scene with an unreadable look on his face.

"Lud, shouldn't we help that boy?"

Ludwig looked at him and gave a curt, "Of course." He turned back toward the scene in front of him. His deep baritone voice thundered loudly, ringing into the air. "Hey, you lot!"

The boy spoke with an edge in his voice. He raised a hand, another upon his cap as if trying to stop it from flying away. "I, Peter Kirkland, shall hereby go forward in time!"

"Eh?!" Kiku gaped, rigid with shock.

Italy tilted his head in surprise. "Huh?!"

Ludwig stared, obviously flabbergasted. "What?!"

A bright flash of green completely filled their vision. When it faded the boy had both his hands outstretched, a look of complete concentration on his young face. A reddish-gold magic circle began to take shape, before vanishing as he made complicated gestures with his open arms.

"FIRE!" he yelled. A huge funnel of crackling flames descended from the sky. It roared, rivaling the sound of huge bonfire, or the roar of an angered dragon. The heat waves themselves knocked the three men to their knees. As quickly as it came, it vanished. The three crooks backed up, obviously terrified.

"Oh, shit, the brat is a wizard!" the red bearded one panicked. He looked at the other open-mouthed men, screeching profanities. "Hey, you bastards, let's get out of here!"

The three scrambled for the nearest exit. As they passed, the boy grinned with a self-satisfied smirk on his face. "And don't you ever come back!"

The blue-haired man stopped, turned, and shoved the boy back. The ten-year old stumbled and fell, his hat drifting to the ground in front of him. He looked up at the man angrily.

"Hey, what are you doing?!"

The man smirked. At a closer distance, you could see a curving tattoo design on the left side of his face. "Hehe, I'll take this!"

He swiped the sky-blue cap from the ground and sprinted after his friends. The boy too late scrambled to grab his legs. Once he was gone, the boy began to cry. "Give back Pete's hat!" Picking himself off of the ground, he began to run after him. As he passed, Italy stopped him with a hand on his arm.

"Hey! Wait! You just used a Jewel, didn't you?!" As Italy peered closer at the boy's face, he noticed sea-blue eyes and bushy black eyebrows that were so familiar. He then remembered. Sealand! _Oh! This is the little boy who usually hangs around the conference room…_

"Who are you?" The Sealand look-alike snapped. "Let go!" When Italy didn't budge, he began to cry out. "Uni! Help!"

The unicorn responded instantly. The snow-white horse cantered over to the duo, it's horned head lowered. When they collided, Italy felt like he was being hit by a baseball bat and a charging bull combined into one. He went flying with the hit, slamming into the floor. "Aaarrrgh!" he yelped. He curled up into a fetal position, moaning with pain. Ludwig walked over to Italy's side, shaking his head.

"You had that coming."

Kiku sighed quietly, quickly hurrying over with a healing spell already at his lips. "Feliciano, that's called kidnapping…"

Italy continued to cry. "Aw, man…"

Kiku quickly placed his hands at Italy's already heavily bruised side and healed him before offering him a potion bottle. The auburn-haired man took it gratefully. The boy looked down at Italy impatiently, looking incredibly agitated. The horse nickered, leaning over the boy's shoulder. "What do you want?! Pete is busy!"

Ludwig took over where Italy had started, who was currently nursing his poor back and torso with a keening whine. His voice was clipped and business-like. "Sorry, I know you're in a hurry, but that spell just now was for the Green Jewel, wasn't it? Are you its User?"

The boy's - Peter, or Pete, wasn't it? – attitude completely changed. He smirked proudly, hands on his hips as he struck a proud pose. "Well, duh! Isn't it obvious?"

"B-but you're so little!" Italy stammered. He winced at his aching muscles. _Ouch!_

"Age has nothing to do with being a User, but… you _are_ too young," Kiku agreed.

Peter grinned, though still gazing over his shoulder with agitation. He obviously didn't want to be in this conversation. "Pete is special! He's been a User since he was born!"

Ludwig, for once, gaped at the blue-eyed boy. He looked the boy up and down with disbelieving eyes. "Is that even possible?!"

"Enough talking!" Peter snapped. "Pete is going to take his hat back."

"What?! All by yourself?! That's too dangerous!" Italy yelped in protest.

Ludwig nodded. "He's right. We can't let a child go anywhere dangerous all alone. Besides, there is someone after the Jewels, so Users should avoid being alone."

"We should be brief then," Kiku said.

Hey, stop acting as if Pete isn't here! He's going alone!" Peter said explosively. Italy winced at his loud voice. He could see how England and Sealand were related…

Ludwig shook his head sternly. "No. We are coming with you. I will accept no objections."

"Aww, you can't be serious!" Peter whined. Ludwig ignored his last comment. "By the way, you were just saying that you would go after them alone, but do you actually know where they are?"

Peter looked away hurriedly, not looking into Ludwig's scrutinizing gaze. He began to stammer, quickly on the defensive. "Er… P-Pete was planning on asking around! It's not that he didn't think of it or anything like that!"

Kiku smiled encouragingly. "Let's ask around, then."

"Um… What about my break?" Italy asked. Much to his dismay, Peter looked at him as if he grew a second head.

"What are you talking about?! Peter's hat is our first priority!"

"Luuud!" Italy whined, looking over at his friend with a plead in his amber eyes. Much to his dismay, the blond waved a hand at him, obviously distracted with forming a strategic plan in his well-organized mind. "… After we gather information."

_"Veeeeh!"_ Italy began to cry. This time, Feliciano was the one consoling him.

_"Don't give up, Italy!"_

_"Easier said than done!"_ he answered with a whiny pout. Italy grumbled quietly. A small laugh and Feliciano left once more.

Peter went quiet for a few moments. Ludwig looked at him curiously. "What's the matter, Peter?"

Peter frowned. "Can't you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Ludwig asked, raising an eyebrow.

Peter sighed. "Never mind."

Ludwig looked at him for a few seconds incredulously, then shrugged. Peter swung up onto the saddle of his unicorn and whispered into its ear. With a gentle nickering sound, it moved forward. The rest followed behind as they went on their search for Peter Kirkland's beloved hat.

After asking about, they learned that although Ryuhang is normally a quiet town, as more chimeras had appeared, more criminals began to prowl the village. Also, the town mayor was related to the family of Hedervary currently residing in Ramneyg. Although Italy had absolutely no idea what that meant, Ludwig recognized that name. The blond didn't comment however.

They entered the farther parts of town, where they discovered from a young man carrying goods that the bandits usually came in threes, and their signature attacks were ambushing. Not much info, but it was still info nonetheless. After wishing him luck on his journey, they continued asking around.

Then they met a girl with blond hair pulled up into a loose ponytail at the local stables. "What you just did was amazing!" she gushed. Peter grinned, while the others merely waited for her to continue. "Those were the punks who turned the Southern Tower into their headquarters. Thanks for driving away!"

"Wait, you said the Southern Tower is their headquarters?" Ludwig asked suddenly. She nodded.

"Yep! Those jerks should seriously be taught a lesson! Anyway, thanks again! You were amazing!" She waved as they thanked her for the information and left.

Ludwig paused at a weapons and items shop. "Wait."

Peter turned, looking rather impatient. "Come on, let's go!"

"We should stock up on potions and weaponry," he replied firmly. With that he began to look through the available items.

"Ah, are you serious?!" Peter grumbled. Ludwig ignored them, pointing a pair of bright red shields. "How much are those?"

"Three thousand gold for both of them," the weapons shop owner answered.

"I'll take both, along with the steel whip. That's all," Ludwig decided. He handed over a pouch full of gold pieces, the owner taking them. As he counted, he pulled out probably a third of the gold pieces and handed the amount to Ludwig, who in turn raised an eyebrow.

"I'm giving back this amount, since I'm assuming you want to trade in your old gear. Most travelers do that. I'm right, right?"

"Hmm… Yes." After turning in their blue shields as well as Ludwig's thorn whip, Ludwig strapped the new shield to his back and placed the whip at his belt. He then pulled Italy aside, strapping the new shield onto his back. Once he was finished, they continued as usual.

They decided to ask around at the local inn next. They passed a middle aged blonde woman in armor, who looked rather irritated. She slammed her drink against the table, leaning back in her chair. "Lately, some punks in the Southern Tower have been assaulting carriages that transport goods." She grumbled, rubbing an armored hand at her temple. "As if the monsters alone weren't enough of a headache."

The four looked at each other as they rented a room at the inn for the night. There were four beds and a large table. A mirror was surprisingly hanging at the wall, right next to a large wardrobe. It was rather spacious, more so than most inns. Peter had left Uni outside in the stables. They gathered around the table.

"Here's what we have gathered," Ludwig spoke. "Firstly, those guys have turned the Southern Tower into their headquarters. And then, they have been assaulting the carriages around Ryuhang and stealing the cargo. However, we still don't have enough information to come up with a plan."

"They said they always attack in groups of three, right?" Italy broke in. "If they're just three, we can handle them, can't we?"

Ludwig frowned, slowly shaking his head in negative. "It's possible that there are many more inside the tower."

"We must not simple assume that there will be only three of them," Kiku added.

Italy went silent, mulling it over. He nodded in agreement. "… Right. See? Good thing you didn't go on your own, right, um… Pete?"

"That's Peter to you!" the boy snapped. Italy felt rather wounded at the boy's irritable remark. Was he still mad about the "kidnapping" incident? It wasn't like he actually wanted to kidnap him, after all!

Ludwig looked at him curiously. "Peter, just where did you come from? Why are you here?"

"Did you cross the sea riding on your unicorn?" Kiku asked.

"That's right!" Peter replied stoutly. "Uni can do it in the blink of an eye!"

Italy wondered out loud a little hesitantly, "Can unicorns fly?"

"Of course they can! They have magic on their hooves."

"I never thought I would meet a wizard of the Kirkland family in a place like this," Kiku said thoughtfully.

Italy tilted his head. "Do you know them, Kiku?"

Kiku nodded once. "Yes. The Kirklands are the family that rules Elgnand."

You're pretty well-informed…" Peter looked surprised. Kiku smiled wryly in reply. "There isn't a thaumaturgy user who hasn't heard of that family."

"So, what is a wizard of the Kirkland family doing in a place like this?" Ludwig asked.

Peter instantly went on the defensive, folding his arms at his chest. "Pete doesn't have to tell you anything!"

"Did you run away from home?" Kiku inquired.

"Ugh…" Peter looked down, then sideways, then back down. He was completely avoiding their gazes. "S-so what if he did? That's Pete's own business!"

"You did, didn't you?" Ludwig made this sound more like a statement then a question.

"But why did you run away?" Italy asked gently.

Peter glared at him, flinging his hands up into the air with exasperation. He began to pace agitatedly, looking up at the three older members of the party. "Aw, come on! Pete wants to get his hat back now!"

"Is that hat really that important to you?" Kiku asked with a slightly raised eyebrow.

"The Jewel is stuck to the hat!" Peter practically yelled this, stamping his feet. Everyone gaped at him, gears turning frantically in their minds.

Italy paled dramatically. "What…?"

"Why didn't you say that before?!" Ludwig demanded angrily.

"You're the ones who wouldn't listen to Pete!" Peter cried, wiping away the angry tears forming in his eyes. "If he loses the Jewel, it'll be your fault!"

Ludwig groaned, rubbing both hands at his temples. He grabbed the newly acquired whip that he had placed onto the table, quickly coiling it up. "Nothing else we can do. Let's go, Feliciano!"

"Veeeh?! Not again!" Italy cried. At this rate, he was _never_ going to get his much-deserved break. Ludwig paused at this for a few seconds, looking conflicted for a few seconds. "On second thought…" His eyes hardened, mulling it over. "We have already taken a room."

"Thank God!" Italy said with relief. He collapsed onto a bed with a sigh.

"Wait, what are you talking about?!" Peter said in a panicked voice several octaves higher than usual. "What about the Jewel?!"

Kiku looked at him apologetically. "You see, we have just come through the marsh, so we are already exhausted."

"It's settled then!" Ludwig decided. "We will stop here for the night and leave tomorrow morning!"

Now it was Peter who started to cry again, dangerously close to throwing a tantrum. "Aww! Your meanie!"

Despite the many protests, tears, and threats, they decided to spend the night at the inn.

_**And that is where we end! Review please~! It gives motivation to this procrastinating author to update more, along with helping her growing more as a writer.**_


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